State of Tennessee v. Yolanda N. Shedd, M2016-02102-CCA-R3-CD

Defendant Yolanda N. Shedd was indicted for one count of assault (Class A misdemeanor) after an altercation at a Kroger fuel center; jury convicted of lesser-included attempted assault (Class B misdemeanor).
Victim Chelsea Mills testified the dispute began over a car door; Mills said Shedd yelled, got close, and "chest bumped" her; Mills did not know whether Shedd hit her.
Other witnesses corroborated a "chest bump;" surveillance video was recovered and played for the jury, though pumps obscured parts of the footage.
Officer Bobby Hamby, who arrived after the incident, viewed and narrated the video at trial, testifying he saw Shedd chasing and "in a fight" with the victim.
No motion for new trial was filed; Shedd timely appealed raising ineffective-assistance and trial-court-interference claims; appellate court reviewed only for plain error and affirmed.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument (State)	Defendant's Argument (Shedd)	Held
Ineffective assistance — conflict of interest	Issues waived for failure to raise in motion for new trial; no plain error	Trial counsel had a conflict of interest, constituting ineffective assistance	Waived for tactical reasons; plain-error review denied; claim not reached on merits
Ineffective assistance — cross-examination of Officer Hamby	Waived without motion for new trial; difficult to show prejudice on direct appeal	Trial counsel failed to properly cross-examine Hamby, undermining defense	Waived; plain-error review not warranted because prejudice not shown
Trial court interference with cross-examination	Issues waived; record does not require plain-error correction	Trial court prevented counsel from impeaching Hamby about contradictions between narration and video	Plain-error review denied; jury had video and victim’s testimony; not necessary for substantial justice
Admission/use of surveillance/video evidence	Video admitted for jury evaluation; any discrepancy for jury to weigh	Hamby’s narration contradicted visible footage; counsel sought to expose conflict	No reversible error; jury convicted of lesser offense; record fails to show error affecting substantial justice

State v. Page, 184 S.W.3d 223 (Tenn. 2006) (plain-error doctrine and its multi-factor test)
State v. Terry, 118 S.W.3d 355 (Tenn. 2003) (plain-error standard discussion)
State v. Blackmon, 78 S.W.3d 322 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2001) (risks of raising ineffective-assistance claims on direct appeal)