Tag: tennessee

Tennessee AG Exposes ICE Plan to Release Illegal Aliens Convicted of Violent Crimes Into State

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office announced that efforts by the governor and other state lawmakers were successful and ultimately stopped a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plan to release illegal immigrants, including convicted criminals, into the state. 

State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Wednesday that after a lawsuit was filed by the AG’s office, ICE was forced to produce previously undisclosed information about the agency’s planned release of thousands of detained migrants, including convicted criminals. 

The office said it obtained hundreds of pages of documents that shed light on federal authorities’ since-abandoned plan to transport potentially thousands of “single adult” immigration detainees into Tennessee.

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Jury Returns Mixed Verdict For 3 Former Memphis Officers Convicted in Fatal Beating of Black Motorist Tyre Nichols

A jury on Thursday returned a mixed verdict for three former Memphis police officers convicted in Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating.

Last September five ex-Memphis police officers were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the fatal beating of black motorist Tyre Nichols.

Last year, the state charged the five police officers with second-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Tyre Nichols.

The officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith – were fired after Tyre Nichols died following a violent confrontation during a January 7 traffic stop.

Three of the officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, were convicted of witness tampering but acquitted of federal charges.

Officers Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges.

Two of the officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., previously pleaded guilty to the same charges.

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Tennessee Judge Rules Not One Page of Covenant Killer Writings Shall be Released, Cites Dubious Copyright Claims of Intervenors

Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles ruled in a decision released at 11:58 pm on Thursday that none of the writings left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale shall be released to the multiple parties who sued Metro Nashville to secure their release, citing the copyright claims of the parents she earlier allowed to intervene in the lawsuit.

Myles ruled in favor of the defendants and intervenors in the case, refusing to release the documents to a collection of media organizations and individuals.

Among those who sued to compel the full release of Hale’s writings from Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) were The Tennessee Star editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy, who is also CEO of Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), the publisher of The Star. Other plaintiffs included the Tennessee Firearms Association, State Representative Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and The Tennessean.

Myles ruled in favor of the Nashville Metropolitan Government, as well as the the Covenant School and Covenant parents, after more than 80 pages of Hales’ writings were obtained by The Star from a source familiar with the investigation. The Star has published more than 60 articles that include the killer’s words or provide details about the investigation.

Prior to her ruling, Myles first controversially allowed parents from the Covenant School, the Covenant School, and the Covenant Presbyterian Church to intervene in the case after Hale’s family claimed they assigned them the copyright of her written materials.

Myles declared in her Friday ruling, “materials created by Hale are exempted from disclosure based on the federal Copyright Act.”

Despite Hale dying at the Covenant School, where she killed three 9-year-old children and three adults in her March 27, 2023 attack, the police investigation remains ongoing. While the timeline for the police to finish their investigation remains unclear, the judge cited legislation which protects documents obtained by during police investigations.

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National probe into whether products sold as Botox are causing botulism

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and multiple other states to investigate botulism-like illness after reported botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes. Joint investigations have identified concerns about use of counterfeit products or products with unclear origin administered in non-medical settings such as homes or cosmetic spas.

TDH recently identified four patients who experienced botulism-like signs and symptoms. All persons reported receiving botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes. All four patients were seen by a healthcare provider and two were hospitalized. Similar botulism-like illnesses have been reported by multiple states. Ongoing investigation suggests that the product administered was counterfeit.

Classic botulism is a rare, potentially fatal illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum or related species. Initial botulism symptoms might include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and difficulty breathing. These symptoms are typically followed by descending, symmetric muscle weakness that progresses over hours to days requiring hospitalization and specialized treatment with anti-toxin.

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Governor poised to sign law making kids watch animated fetal videos from anti-abortion group

In Tennessee, whether parents like it or not, Republican Gov. Bill Lee is poised to sign a law that will make public school children watch an animated video on fetal development backed by an anti-abortion group, or some equivalent of it, after lawmakers in the state vaulted the legislation to passage.

The law, known as the Baby Olivia Act, first passed in the state’s House in March on a 67-23 vote and then sailed through the Senate last week, 21-6. The roughly three-minute animation created by the nonprofit anti-abortion group Live Action bills itself as a “Never Before Seen Look at Human Life in the Womb” and would be shown to public school children as part of the state’s family health curriculum.

Among other features in the video, it depicts sperm fertilizing an ovum and it is here that it declares: “This is the moment that life begins. A new human being has come into existence.” The animated video states that a fetus can recognize lullabies in the womb and depicts a purported fetus at 27 weeks gazing through a translucent womb while pressing its fingers against it. The shadow of the mother’s fingers press back.

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Tennessee State Senate Passes Bill Banning “Chemtrail” Spraying in Their Skies

The Tennessee State Senate has taken a definitive stance against the controversial topic of “chemtrails” by passing SB 2691/HB 2063.

The bill, which aims to ban the intentional release of chemicals into the atmosphere for geoengineering purposes, was sponsored by Representative Monty Fritts (R-Kingston) and Senator Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) and won approval in the Senate on Monday, The Tennessean reported.

The legislation is predicated on the claim that “it is documented the federal government or other entities acting on the federal government’s behalf or at the federal government’s request may conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere, and those activities may occur within the State of Tennessee.”

This new bill seeks to outlaw any such activities, stating that, “The intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited.”

The passage of this bill marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over geoengineering and environmental manipulation. Proponents of the bill believe that it is a necessary step to safeguard the environment and public health from unregulated geoengineering practices.

The legislation is set to be enforced beginning July 1, 2024, indicating the urgency that the Tennessee Senate places on this issue for the “public welfare.”

Attention now turns to the House, where the bill is scheduled to be reviewed by the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

If the House passes the bill, Tennessee would become one of the first states to establish a legal framework explicitly prohibiting the spraying of chemicals for geoengineering purposes, potentially setting a precedent for other states to follow in addressing concerns around environmental and atmospheric manipulation.

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Tennessee bill would ban flags based on gender, politics, sexual orientation in schools

A new bill in the Tennessee General Assembly would ban public and charter schools from displaying certain flags on or in school buildings.

SB1722/HB1605 is sponsored by Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-D28) and Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood-D61) in their respective chambers. The bill caption states it “prohibits LEAs and public charter schools from displaying in public schools flags other than the official United States flag and the official Tennessee state flag.”

An amendment added to the bill further details what will and won’t be prohibited, the amendment stating those allowed will be a U.S. flag, the official Tennessee state flag, a POW/MIA flag, a flag of an Indian tribe, official city, county, or metro government flag, armed forces flags, and official school flags.

What will not be allowed are any flags representing political viewpoints, partisan, racial, sexual orientation, gender, or other “ideological viewpoint” flags.

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Tennessee Man’s Illegal Moonshine Operation Yielded 81 Quarts

A man in Johnson City, Tennessee, has been cited after law enforcement found an illegal moonshine operation.

Officials cited 36-year-old Jeremy Stines in the case and WCYB reported Monday that a tip led authorities to discover the operation that was apparently located inside a barn.

In a social media post, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office of Tennessee (WCSO) noted Stines was cited for manufacture of alcoholic beverages, possession of a still, and unlawful storage of liquor for sale.

The sheriff’s office continued:

Upon receiving the tip, Investigators conducted a premise check in the 200 block of Highridge Road. It was disclosed by Stines that there was in fact a still in the yard barn at the east end of the property, and verbal consent was given by Stines to search the building. The liquor manufacturing equipment, along with 81 quarts of product, were seized transported to WCSO.

According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-707, it is unlawful for any person to have possession or control of any still or other apparatus, or part of a still or other apparatus to be used for the purpose of manufacturing intoxicating liquor as prohibited by law. Possession of a Still is a Class B misdemeanor.

Manufacture of Alcoholic Beverages and Unlawful Storage of Liquor for Sale are both Class A misdemeanors.

Stines is scheduled to appear in court on March 5 regarding the case.

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Tennessee Says Residents Can’t Vote If They Have Lost Their Gun Rights

Tennessee, which imposes notoriously demanding requirements on residents with felony records seeking restoration of their voting rights, recently added a new wrinkle: Before supplicants who have not managed to obtain a pardon are allowed to vote again, they have to successfully seek restoration of their gun rights, a task that is complicated by the interaction between state and federal law. Given the difficulty of obtaining relief from the federal gun ban for people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year of incarceration, this requirement would be prohibitive in practice.

If it is upheld by Tennessee courts, the new policy would essentially mean “there’s no way to vote” for people who were disenfranchised based on their criminal records, says Adam Ginsburg, a spokesman for the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), which has challenged Tennessee’s voting requirements in federal court. Even without the problem created by federal gun laws, CLC attorney Blair Bowie says, people convicted of drug felonies or violent crimes “will not be able to restore their gun rights” under Tennessee law. “It’s beyond the pale,” she says. But she adds that “it’s still an open question, because the Elections Division, which governs who can register to vote in Tennessee, clearly hasn’t really thought that through.”

The new requirement would further complicate a process that is already hard to navigate. “Tennessee has the most convoluted, harsh and poorly managed rights restoration process of any state in the country,” the CLC reported in 2022. Among other things, “Tennessee is one of only a handful of states that conditions the right to vote on payment of legal debt and the only state that requires a person to be current on child support to restore their voting rights.”

Tennessee’s obstacles to re-enfranchisement have had the sort of impact you might expect. “Over 450,000 citizens—accounting for more than 9% of the voting age population—are denied the right to vote because of past felony convictions,” the CLC noted. “Since 2016, less than 1% of post-sentence Tennesseans have gotten their voting rights back due to modern-day poll taxes and issues with obtaining a Certificate of Restoration,” which requires a court order.

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Tennessee police took part in multiyear sex trafficking conspiracy to shield a serial rapist — whose victims included children — in exchange for ‘hundreds of thousands’ in cash, lawsuit claims

Multiple Tennessee police officers took large sums of money from an accused rapist — whose victims included children — in order to protect him from criminal prosecution, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges.

The shocking allegations are the latest wrinkle in the often dramatic, yearslong, multi-chapter effort to bring Sean Williams, 52, to justice.

Women in Johnson City had complained to law enforcement about the wealthy man’s allegedly predatory behavior since at least November 2019, according to the 85-page filing obtained by Law&Crime.

The defendant was ultimately arrested in April on wholly unrelated drug charges. In September, he was indicted on myriad state and federal child sex offenses. The apparently slow pace of those concomitant investigations was due, at least in part, by a local law enforcement conspiracy of cash and silence, the lawsuit claims.

“For years, Sean Williams drugged and raped women and sexually exploited children in Johnson City, Tennessee, and for years, officers of the Johnson City Police Department (‘JCPD’) let him get away with it,” the second amended complaint begins.

Filed by nine unnamed Does in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the lawsuit alleges that “at least eight” reports about Williams drugging and raping women in his downtown apartment were swept under the rug by numerous police officers, who, instead, treated the business owner and sports car collector like he was “untouchable.”

”In exchange for turning a blind eye, JCPD officers took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from Williams, all while refusing to take meaningful steps to protect women and children in Johnson City and to stop his known sexually predatory behavior,” the filing continues. “JCPD was not only turning a blind eye to Williams’ crimes, but also engaging in a pattern and practice of discriminatory conduct towards women who reported rape and sexual assault by Williams.”

The lawsuit claims that Johnson City police, at the highest level, were knowing participants in a sex trafficking operation.

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