Former ER Judge Arrested in Florida

Former East Ridge Municipal Court Judge Cris Helton was arrested in Panama City Beach, Florida late last month, accused of threatening to kill his wife and a mutual friend.

According to an affidavit of complaint, the 63-year-old disbarred attorney texted a photo of a black and silver knife to his wife Kimberly with a message saying: “I take that back I will kill both of you first. Don’t forget she knows your worth.”

In an interview with the Panama City police, Helton allegedly admitting taking the photo and sending it to the victim.

Helton, who now lives in Panama City, posted a $50,000 bond. He is due to appear in court on Nov. 3.

Helton served as East Ridge Municipal Court Judge from 2014 until he resigned in August 2021.

Helton was suspended from practicing law in Tennessee after he was accused of not filing years of tax returns and owing the Internal Revenue Service about $400,000.

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.