On Haslam dodging a ‘rape kits’ question in Memphis (he doesn’t have much...
Interesting perspectives from Memphis TV reporting on Gov. Bill Haslam responding to a question on the backlog in processing “rape kits.” From WPTY-TV: Governor Bill Haslam doesn’t have a lot of power...
View ArticleBlount County businesswoman convicted in Ponzi scheme
A three-man, nine-woman jury in U.S. District Court at Knoxville has convicted Blount County businesswoman Joyce Allen of 10 financial crimes, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and...
View ArticleCourt overturns one of Knox County judge’s five convictions
From the News-Sentinel: A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned one of five federal convictions against former Knox County Judge Richard Baumgartner. The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld...
View ArticleSupremes delay Billy Ray Irick execution
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A death row inmate has been granted a reprieve from an Oct. 7 execution date. On Thursday, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Billy Ray Irick’s (EYE’-riks) execution should...
View ArticleSupremes uphold death sentence in Memphis murder of six
News release from Administrative Office of the Courts: Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed a jury’s verdict convicting Jessie Dotson of six counts of first degree...
View ArticleOn why that grand jury said Harwell and Ramsey should be indicted, but didn’t...
A dispute has developed over why a Davidson County grand jury last week recommended that criminal charges be brought against House Speaker Beth Harwell and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey without actually...
View ArticleRetired police chief could face criminal charges for keeping city IPads
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Chattanooga’s current police chief says he will consider pursuing criminal charges against the former chief in order to get back $2,500 worth of city-owned iPads. The...
View ArticleHaslam: Closing Taft was a good idea
Gov. Bill Haslam is defending his administration’s 2012 closure of Taft Youth Development Center in rural Bledsoe County despite recent riots and mass escapes by hardened teen-age felons housed in a...
View ArticleSen. Summerville charged with stalking, assault; accuses police of harassment
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Outgoing state Sen. Jim Summerville is facing stalking and assault charges, a month after being arrested for public intoxication. Lt. Todd Christian with the Dickson Police...
View ArticleThree Monroe school teachers arrested in one month; ethics talks planned
After the arrest of three Monroe County teachers within a month, Monroe County Director of Schools Tim Blankenship has announced plans to discuss ethics, honesty and integrity at an upcoming staff...
View ArticleLast Woodland Hills escapee caught, charged in shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — College officials in Nashville say police have captured the remaining escapee from Woodland Hills juvenile detention center and charged him in connection with a shooting earlier...
View ArticleMayor indicted on official misconduct, theft charges
BRIGHTON, Tenn. (AP) — A West Tennessee mayor has been indicted for allegedly using city resources for work on his son’s home. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation alleges that 53-year-old Mayor...
View ArticleFormer Mayor gets probation on ‘facilitation of bribery’ charge
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Former Millington Mayor Richard Hodges has been given three years probation after he demanded a cash loan from a local businessman in exchange for allowing the man to keep a...
View Article‘Millionaire Matchmaker’ sentenced in Oak Ridge extortion attempt
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An East Tennessee man who appeared as “the Beverly Hillbilly” on television’s “The Millionaire Matchmaker” has been sentenced to three months in prison for trying to extort $2.5...
View ArticleDeputy accused in gambling extortion ring got Knox schools school job
Knox County Schools twice hired a deputy sheriff under federal probe in a gambling extortion conspiracy despite being made aware of his alleged transgressions, reports the News Sentinel. Former Knox...
View ArticleTwo former police officers plead guilty in extortion ring
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Two former law enforcement officers for the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Authority have pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges. The charges stem from an...
View ArticleTBI busts Meigs court clerk for falsifying hotel receipt
News release from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: COOKEVILLE – Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained an indictment for the Meigs County Chancery Court Clerk and...
View ArticleMan convicted in four 1994 murders freed from prison
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former Fort Campbell soldier once convicted of taking part in killing four people has been freed from prison after prosecutors dropped the case against him 20 years after...
View ArticleFelony convictions said to block 18.9% of TN blacks from voting
Excerpt from a Huffington Post opinion piece on state laws that bar former felons from voting, written by Ira Glasser, retired ACLU executive director: Today, one of every 13 black Americans is barred...
View ArticleLawsuits contend ETHRA illegally extended probation time to make money
A service organization is facing two federal civil rights lawsuits for allegedly padding its budget by illegally extending probationary sentences for clients, reports the News Sentinel. The East...
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