Alleged cop shooters plead 'not guilty'

The two men accused of shooting Metro Police Sgt. Mark Chesnut this summer were arraigned Tuesday morning before Davidson County Judge Seth Norman and both entered 'not guilty' pleas.

Joseph Jackson Jr. and Cortney Logan both entered pleas in Davidson County Criminal Court on charges stemming from the June 25 shooting, including attempted criminal homicide and evading arrest. Metro Police allege the men shot  Chesnut after he pulled them over on a routine traffic stop along Interstate 40 near Bellevue.

The men reportedly were on the run after Logan orchestrated a prison break for Jackson from the Delta Correctional Facility in Greenwood,  Miss., an institution run by Corrections Corporation of America.

According to police reports, Jackson approached Chesnut's patrol car as the officer was 'running' the  men's identification and shot him five times at close range.

Chesnut, who has recovered from his injuries, was not in court Tuesday.

Both defendants told Judge Norman that they could not afford lawyers. The court then appointed public defender Laura Getz to represent Jackson while Logan was assigned private practice attorney David M. Hopkins.

Since the shooting, Chesnut has filed a lawsuit against the private prison company from which Jackson escaped. The filing alleges Chesnut's injuries were a result of negligent security policies on the part of Nashville-based CCA.

The civil suit alleges that Jackson was given prior knowledge of when he would be transferred for a doctor's appointment, allowing Logan to plan an escape. Chesnut is asking for $14 million for himself and an additional $2.5 million in damages for his wife, according to the suit.