Seth Austin Cordell
A Hixson electrical contractor has been convicted by a jury of continuous sexual abuse of a child and other charges.
Seth Austin Cordell, 43, could be facing a lengthy prison sentence. He is facing three-15 years on continuous sexual abuse of a child, as well as three-six years on several other counts.
The cases could be run consecutively.
Judge Barry Steelman will set the sentences later.
Austin, on Jan. 31, was ordered by Judge Steelman to be held without bond afterthe judge heard tape recordings in which he threatened a prosecutor.
Cordell was recorded in a jail phone call as telling his fiancee concerning child sex prosecutor Stephani Brown, "I'm going to burn that f------ b----. I hate that f------ b----. I hope she's listening. I'm going to burn her a--."
He also said of certain people involved in his case, "If I get time, I'm going to f--- some people up."
A detective handling Cordell's child sex abuse case said he recently listened to recordings of Cordell phone calls from the jail. Two of the recordings were played in court.
Judge Barry Steelman said he ordered the revocation of Cordell's bond and then no bond after hearing the "threats" he made.
Cordell said he was just "blowing off steam." He said his anger was fueled when his lawyer, Clancy Covert, at an earlier hearing when handcuffs were being placed on him (Cordell), told him, "We're going to burn their a--es in court."
Cordell said he should not have made the statements against prosecutor Brown, and he apologized to her.
After being indicted on the child sex abuse charges, Cordell was arrested after saying he was going to "pull a drive-by" at a downtown Chattanooga bar. Police said Cordell had been trespassed from the Leapin' Leprechaun and, when an employee again told him to leave, he began arguing.
Employees said he left, but returned. Employees said he then reached for a gun and yelled, "I'm gonna pull a drive-by on all of you."
Cordell had been on probation on that case. Prior to the order of no bond by Judge Steelman, handcuffs were placed on Cordell after General Sessions Court Gary Starnes revoked his bond in the bar case.