A 94-year-old man who is said to be Tennessee’s oldest practicing attorney and who still serves as an alternative Oak Ridge City Court judge has been freed on $50,000 bond while facing charges of aggravated assault with his car, reports the News Sentinel
“There’s not a word of truth to any of this thing,” William Lawrence Tunnell said Wednesday morning of the charge formally filed against him last week in connection with a Nov. 21 incident. He declined further comment, other than saying he took a “bad, bad fall” that day.
Tunnell, reported to be Tennessee’s oldest practicing attorney, allegedly struck Charles Smallwood with his vehicle after Smallwood and others helped Tunnell to his feet after he fell at the intersection of Waltham Lane and West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.
Smallwood and other witnesses tried to get Tunnell to remain at the scene until medical personnel arrived. After Smallwood stepped in front of Tunnell’s vehicle to prevent him from leaving, Tunnell allegedly said, “Move you (expletive) or I will run you over,” according to the arrest warrant.
Tunnell then placed his vehicle in drive and struck Smallwood, knocking him over, the warrant states. Smallwood was taken by ambulance to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.