Dalton Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” appeared in court Friday on charges including attempted murder after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse. A judge set bond at $1.25 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 26.
When Dalton Eatherly stepped into court Friday morning, the bond set for his case landed at $1.25 million—an amount the judge tied directly to what happened outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville.
Eatherly. 28. who posts under the name “Chud the Builder. ” was taken into custody after a confrontation outside the courthouse on Wednesday escalated into a shooting. according to the Tennessee District Attorney General’s Office.. Authorities say Eatherly is accused of attempted murder and other charges tied to the incident.
Judge Reid Poland III set the bond during an arraignment and bond hearing in General Sessions Court. Poland said the figure reflected “how many people were in the courtyard over here at the courthouse and the seriousness of all these felonies.”
In court, Eatherly wore a marked Montgomery County Jail jumpsuit. Video captured him closing his eyes for a while as the judge announced the amount.
Prosecutors and sheriff’s officials allege Eatherly also faces additional charges, including employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Poland told the court attempted criminal homicide carries a possible sentence of 15 to 60 years in a Tennessee state penitentiary.
A preliminary hearing was set for May 26. Attorney Jake Fendley was appointed to represent Eatherly at that hearing, and court records indicate Fendley has represented him previously.
The case also comes with a history that prosecutors say is closely tied to Eatherly’s social media presence.. His track record online includes videos featuring racial slurs toward Black people and other minorities. including at least one instance in which he used force against a Black person.. He has also referred to Black people as “chimps” in his online videos.
After Wednesday’s shooting. Eatherly livestreamed himself speaking to first responders. telling viewers he walked past a group of people who were “laughing” and “pointing at me.” In the video. he said he was told to walk away by one unidentified man in the group. who then approached him and said. “I have PTSD.”
Eatherly said the man told him, “You start saying all that chimp out s**t to me and ‘imma hit you,’ and he hit me, he started whaling on me, even after I had to defend myself by shooting him.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said both men were shot and taken to nearby hospitals, where they were in stable condition. Officials said the unidentified man involved was later handed over to medical personnel and was no longer detained.
Officials did not provide a description of the victim. But a witness who told the Associated Press she saw the other man loaded into the ambulance described him as Black.
Investigators have not said how many firearms were involved, how the shooting unfolded, or what led up to it.
Friday’s court appearance also followed another arrest last weekend. Court records and an affidavit say Eatherly was kicked out of a restaurant in Nashville on Saturday and later arrested and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
In that case, prosecutors described him as a livestreamer who “filmed content, including racially charged content” on social media.. The affidavit says restaurant staff asked him not to livestream or be disruptive, but that he continued.. When he was told to stop live streaming. the affidavit says he became “disruptive and started making racial statements. yelling. screaming” and caused a scene.
The affidavit adds that he allegedly refused to pay for a $371.55 meal after saying. “I’m not paying if you are kicking me out.” He was taken into custody hours later. initially pulling his arm away when officers tried to put him in handcuffs before being arrested without further incident.. A judge later granted release on a $5,000 bond, according to the order.
Eatherly’s latest arraignment sets the stage for what happens next in a case that is already drawing attention not only for the courthouse shooting, but for the defendant’s repeated online confrontations and alleged use of racial slurs.
Dalton Eatherly Chud the Builder attempted murder charge Montgomery County Courthouse shooting Clarksville Tennessee bond $1.25 million Reid Poland III Jake Fendley racial slurs livestreamer