National Guard PTSD veteran needed to be helped, not locked up in jail

Family defends former deputy
Mother-in-law says Bailey would not threaten sheriff
By BRANDON PUTTBRESE
bputtbrese@dnj.com
— Brandon Puttbrese, 615-278-5153


The Iraq war veteran accused of trying to kill Rutherford County Sheriff Truman Jones, his former boss, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a family member said Wednesday.

Bruce Bailey, 34, of Murfreesboro was arrested Monday night after an off-duty state trooper saw the ex-deputy sheriff carrying a military, semi-automatic rifle at Mt. Tabor Cumberland Presbyterian Church.



Detectives said Bailey fired shots near the sheriff's home and was waiting for Jones, who was not at home. Bailey was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated criminal trespassing, carrying a weapon on school property and public drunkenness.

Bailey is being held at the Rutherford County jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on the charges in General Sessions Court was scheduled for Dec. 12.

Bailey's mother-in-law, Pat Cosgrove, doubts that her daughter's husband would threaten the sheriff's life. The National Guard sergeant suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service, wrestles with alcoholism and requires medical counseling, she added.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an often debilitating mental condition that can produce a range of unwanted emotional responses to the trauma of combat, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

It can emerge weeks, months or years later. If left untreated, it can severely affect the lives of veterans and their families, the agency's Web site states.

"Bruce wouldn't have done anything," the mother-in-law said. "He needs to be at the (veteran's hospital) where he can get some help, not locked up in jail."
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