No pay raise in 20 years for appointed TN defense lawyers
Court-appointed defense attorneys in Tennessee haven’t gotten a pay raise in 20 years and some earn less than half as much per hour to try a murder case than an expert witnesses hired to testify,...
View ArticleMayor of New Johnsonville indicted for theft following comptroller investigation
News release from state Comptroller’s Office: A special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury reveals that New Johnsonville Mayor Lance Loveless directly benefited from the use of...
View ArticleNewest TN drug problem: Cheap Mexican heroin, laced with fentanyl
Law enforcement officials fear Tennessee is about to experience a flood of cheap, supercharged heroin as Mexican drug cartels rush to capitalize on residents’ widespread addiction to prescription pain...
View ArticleCounty commissioner charged with taking gun to school
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — A Williamson County commissioner is facing a gun charge. According to WKRN-TV (http://bit.ly/1wPoKxs), Barb Sturgeon turned herself in on Friday after a grand jury charged her...
View ArticleSupremes bow to Legislature in upholding child rape testimony law
Reversing a Clarksville judge’s decision, the state Supreme Court has upheld a state law that allows child victims of sexual assault to testify via video tape rather than in open court despite...
View ArticleGovernor opposes crime, especially domestic violence
By Lucas Johnson, Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While there’s been progress in making Tennessee a safer state, much remains to be done, particularly on domestic violence, Gov. Bill Haslam said...
View ArticleJail administrator indicted on charges of stealing from inmates
A grand jury indicted the former administrator of the Loudon County Jail on charges she stole nearly $14,000 from inmate accounts, reports the News Sentinel. Ruthie Teresa Smith, 40, was released from...
View ArticleWoman charged with shooting into Nashville DCS office
A Nashville woman has been charged with firing several shots into the building that houses Tennessee Department of Children’s Services offices in Nashville, reports WTVF-TV. According to police,...
View ArticleTBI-DA spat over Holly Bobo case prompts suspension of TBI operations in five...
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has suspended its involvement in the Holly Bobo murder and all other cases in the 24th Judicial District after an argument bedtween District Attorney General Matt...
View ArticleMotivational speaker in Chattanooga’s ‘Violence Reduction Inititiative’...
A former gang member whose unlikely journey from violent criminal to successful entrepreneur made him a widely celebrated success story has been charged with killing a Georgia woman, reports the...
View ArticleCagle column: Keeping drug offenders in prison reduces crime
Frank Cagle, in a News Sentinel column, doesn’t like the movement to reduce sentences of drug offenders and let them out of prison. FBI statistics reveal that there has been a steady decrease in the...
View ArticleDomestic violence case leads to proposed ‘cooling off’ law revision
People accused of domestic violence would be required to stay behind bars for at least 12 hours if a new proposal becomes law. Further from The Tennessean: State law requires a 12-hour “cooling off”...
View ArticleWorking off rape test kit backlog, Memphis police ID 19 rapists
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say nearly 5,000 of 12,000 backlogged rape evidence kits have been tested in Memphis, leading to dozens of indictments. Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s office says...
View ArticlePart-time judge, age 94, charged with aggravated assault
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...
View ArticleTN police, college officials holding two-day meeting on campus sexual assault
Police officers, counselors and educators from 76 public and private colleges across the state will descend on Tennessee State University in Nashville on Tuesday for a two-day summit on campus sexual...
View ArticleKnox County files lawsuit against former official awaiting criminal trial
Knox County has filed a lawsuit against a former officeholder before while he awaits trial on charges of stealing from government coffers, reports the News Sentinel. The Knox County Law Director’s...
View ArticleDiscovery of white powder closes TN Supreme Court building
The state Supreme Court building was evacuated and closed for a while Tuesday afternoon after a white power spilled out of an envelope opened by an employee, reports The Tennessean. The powder was...
View ArticleState electrical inspector accused of theft by overcharging for permits
JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — State investigators say an electrical inspector who worked as a contract employee with the Department of Commerce and Insurance has been charged with overcharging for permits. The...
View ArticleComptroller audit: PTO president steals $10,465
News release from state comptroller’s office: A special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury has found that Tara Scott, the former president of the Hilham Elementary School...
View ArticleRemembering Tyler Harber’s days of stolen email and dirty tricks in Knoxville
From a Michael Collins report: To those who knew him during his turbulent years in Knoxville, Tyler Harber was a gifted, hard-working political operative with a real passion for politics — and a real...
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