Cocaine Ferried, Cash Laundered In Scheme, FBI Says COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday, FBI agents arrived at the Cookeville Police Department to arrest two men. The suspects were easily spotted. They wore blue ... and police badges. By noon, "Operation Tarnished Shield," a three-year effort by federal and state authorities to "root out corruption" in this Upper Cumberland Plateau city, also had resulted in the arrest of two former law enforcement officers. Four other individuals, for a total of eight, also were taken into custody as part of the undercover sting investigation that alleges police participation in a conspiracy to ferry cocaine and launder hundreds of thousands of dollars. [continues 1081 words]
FBI Subpoenas Records Of Deputy Under Probe GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - A Cocke County jailer resigned four hours after pleading guilty to a single count of attempted money laundering Monday in federal court. Also Monday, a Cocke County Sheriff's Department official confirmed that the FBI has taken the personnel file of Deputy Christopher Smith as well as a videotape of a traffic stop he was involved in. "(The FBI) do have it," said administrative assistant Deborah Gregg. "They subpoenaed that." Smith has taken a leave of absence from the department pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation. Officials have declined to discuss the substance of the probe. [continues 495 words]
ERWIN - A courtroom so stifling people vigorously fanned themselves and dripped with sweat grew even hotter Tuesday when Judge Bob Cupp entered and the crowd roasted him with allegations he was soft on drug crimes and warned him they were targeting him for defeat in the 2006 election. Cupp maintained his cool during a nearly 45-minute exchange with Unicoi County residents and sheriff's department representatives who were madder than hornets about his decision in July that led to the dismissal of charges against a man accused of having about a kilogram of cocaine in his mobile home. The audience was not swayed by the judge's comments, and when the anger continued to flare, Cupp concluded there was no more point in carrying on the conversation. [continues 1059 words]
Your July 27 editorial was right on target. The financial incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws create a dangerous precedent. Police can confiscate cars, cash and homes without bothering to charge owners with a crime. Vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning what should be protectors of the peace into financial predators. The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties while failing miserably at preventing drug use. A majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. [continues 118 words]
ERWIN - After a couple of years of planning, the Unicoi County School System will start this fall conducting drug tests of its high school athletes. The Board of Education, which talked about the issue at length at a work session Tuesday, approved the policy unanimously without discussion on Thursday. The panel agreed to expedite the measure by waiving its first and second readings and approving it on third reading. Beginning with the fall sports season, athletes in grades nine through 12 will be subject to random tests for drugs and alcohol. The policy will be effective on the first day of practice for each sport, meaning players in fall sports will be at risk of tests for a longer period in the first year than those participating in winter and spring sports. But once an athlete is entered into the testing program, he or she is never removed. [continues 498 words]
The group gathered in a Downtown Centre courtroom is composed of the usual players - a judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys and probation officers - but it's not the usual courtroom scenario. Judge Robert Lincoln, Patrick Denton, assistant public defender, Robin Ray and Chris Ledford, assistant district attorneys general, and members of Comprehensive Community Services are gathered around the courtroom table normally used by prosecutors. As they do each Thursday morning, sometimes with Lincoln, sometimes with Judge John L. Kiener, the group of county and state officials discusses the progress of individuals enrolled in "Drug Court." [continues 589 words]
It may sound tough when a player gets suspended for 10 days from Major-League Baseball for using a banned substance. And it may sound even tougher when the Olympic form of punishment -- a two-year ban for strike one, and for strike two a ban until the Chicago Cubs win the World Series - -- is discussed as a possible deterrent to cheating on a physical level in baseball. But while the whole thing may seem like a mess Major League Baseball has created, it really isn't. [continues 519 words]
The methamphetamine statistics were pretty scary last year. They're still scary, but they're getting better, and that's thanks to Tennessee's efforts to control the problem. According to figures from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, meth lab busts decreased by 59 percent in June compared to the same time last year. The month before, the decrease was 39 percent. "Two consecutive months of lab declines is good news for communities across Tennessee," Gov. Phil Bredesen said in a news release. "We're cautiously optimistic the trend will continue." [continues 392 words]
Why Prosecuting Victimless Crimes Is A Colossal Waste Of Time Whenever I think of marijuana, I think about vomit, specifically, the vomit of one Peter McWilliams, noted author of breezy self-help books such as Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School But Didn't and Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts. It's been five years since McWilliams died in the bathroom of his California home. He was a victim of both AIDS and cancer, but neither of those ultimately did the man in. No, on June 14, 2000, McWilliams simply choked on his own vomit. [continues 4476 words]
"What are you going to do about the drugs?'' McClung noted the inquiry before several officers from various county law enforcement agencies combined forces Thursday for "Operation Drug Blitz" - the culmination of 20 months of work by McClung's office and the Scott County Sheriff's Department. "It was a constant concern from citizens during the campaign because you could sense that people are getting tired of the dealing and just the thought of the illegal substances being in the county,'' said McClung. [continues 216 words]
This is a response to the July 14 letter, "PTA to share concerns about methamphetamine." As a recovered abuser of methamphetamine (clean over 11 years now), I humbly submit the most urgent question for discussion at the Aug. 17 PTA meeting should be, "Will criminal justice solutions do anything to reduce the amount of methamphetamine abuse within our country?" My personal experience, along with that of the drug abusers I've worked with in treatment and recovery settings, suggests the answer is a resounding no. [continues 156 words]
Tennessee can't get complacent with initial reports that its anti-methamphetamine program is off to an excellent start. Statistics released this week by the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse show remarkable progress. Meth labs in Tennessee decreased by nearly 50% during May and June over last year at the same time. July appears to show more of the same reduction. Credit goes to the stringent anti-meth laws promoted by Gov. Phil Bredesen and passed by the Tennessee General Assembly which went into effect May 1. Among other things, the law puts strict caps on the amount of cold medicine that can be sold to an individual. Some cold medicines contain the main ingredient used in meth production. [continues 192 words]
Numbers Attributed To Governor's Act To Get Tougher On Drug NASHVILLE - The number of methamphetamine lab seizures across Tennessee continues to decrease since Gov. Phil Bredesen's Meth-Free Tennessee Act went into effect nearly four months ago, records show. The numbers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were discussed Tuesday by a task force the governor set up last year to study meth abuse. The bill, which became law in March, is the result of recommendations made by the task force. [continues 414 words]
CHATTANOOGA - Chattanooga police decided to end their involvement in the DARE anti-drug program, but Chief Steve Parks said officers would continue to patrol schools in the city. "We had been looking at doing this on and off for some months," Parks said Tuesday. "One of the difficulties we had with DARE was that it was difficult to evaluate the program's success." A Hamilton County schools spokeswoman said the decision, three years after Sheriff John Cupp withdrew his officers' involvement, ends the program. [continues 177 words]
Number Of Labs Seized Tumbles 49% In May, June Since Law Enacted The number of methamphetamine labs seized by authorities in Tennessee during May and June decreased significantly -- 49% statewide -- compared with the number of busts from the same months in 2004. The decline is attributed to Tennessee's stringent anti-meth legislation, which became effective May 1, according to the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. "I think the thing that is responsible is the lack of being able to buy pseudoephedrine products by the pickup truck load. We just hope that the number stays going in the right direction. We think that it will,'' said Commissioner of Agriculture Ken Givens, who also is chairman of the task force. [continues 366 words]
It's probably fitting that extortion charges against two Loudon County deputies were dropped. After all, they weren't the extortionists - we were. The deputies seized $9,649 from a motorist they suspected of being a drug dealer. Forget the fact that no drugs were collected. Our seizure laws don't trifle with such details as evidence. They operate on the great American proposition that a citizen is guilty until proven innocent - if the cops say so. The ultimate irony of this case is that the charges were dismissed on a technicality because the victim's lawyer, Jes Beard, was allowed to present his client's argument to a grand jury. [continues 313 words]
You have to say that the drug companies asked for it. I mean really asked for it. Remember when Viagra first came on the market? The spokesman was Bob Dole, veteran, Senate leader and prostate cancer survivor who urged other men to talk to their doctors about erectile dysfunction. The slogan was: Courage. Fast forward through the millennium. The spokesman now is a hunky 40-something guy with a 2-day-old beard and a slogan that says: "Keep that spark alive." [continues 635 words]
TRENTON - When Judge James Webb returned home in March 2003 from a national federal drug court training session, he was determined to start one in Gibson County, with or without funding. Thus, the Gibson County drug court was born and has been going strong for about two years now. The County Commission contributed $15,000 to the program in 2004-2005. Webb has requested about the same for the next fiscal year. The program operates with minimal local resources but has several applications pending for grants. [continues 1037 words]
This is in response to the sentencing of law enforcement officers in Campbell County. I fail to understand how these men have really done so much wrong. Seems like the News Sentinel forgets who was the bad guy in this whole mess. Yes, they shouldn't have beaten the drug dealer up, but they didn't kill the man. Seems like the sentence should be no more than time already served. They have lost their jobs, etc., and this is enough. Turn the men free to get on with their lives and get the drug dealers off the street. That is, if Tennessee is interested in doing that. [continues 67 words]
Substituting one addiction for another is not a miracle cure. Methadone clinics prey on the weak, the helpless and the addicted and all at the expense of the taxpayers. TennCare cannot cover the elderly and the disabled, yet it pays for this legalized version of dope. Methadone gets into the bones, eats away at the teeth and destroys lives. Once treatments are started, it is impossible to stop, despite what you may have been told. Life becomes an endless nightmare of body aches, sweats and stomach cramps. Miracle - not hardly. Madness - if you ask me, yes, but I'm not a doctor. I'm just a mother who misses her son. Vera L. Jones Knoxville [end]
A co-worker shared a press release with me the other day from an organization called Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The release detailed how senators are considering legislation addressing the provision of the Higher Education Act that denies federal financial aid to students with drug convictions. The organization (which you can check out yourself online at www.daregeneration.com) opposes such provisions, arguing that they force students convicted of drug charges to drop out of school, making them more likely to continue abusing drugs and engaging in criminal activity. The organization claims such provisions will disproportionately affect minorities and students from low- and middle-income families, since better-off students can afford to pay for tuition on their own (and hire good lawyers to avoid drug convictions in the first place). [continues 534 words]
Officials Look To Replace Federal Money Or Revise Treatment Program Federal grant funding for Blount County's Juvenile Drug Court program dries up this fall. Court officers and members of the Juvenile Drug Court team now face the task of reaching out to community partners such as businesses, churches and other treatments, who can help raise funds. Blount County Drug Court Program Director Theresa Irwin said the juvenile drug court team meets July 26 to discuss funding options, the scope of the program and what revisions to make to the program. [continues 443 words]
Three years ago, while abuse of the prescription painkiller OxyContin was still dominating media reports, Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson presciently predicted a new drug scourge was rapidly advancing. And, Anderson warned, "It will make OxyContin look like candy." The drug was methamphetamine - "meth" in street parlance - but also known as "crank," "speed" or "ice." Whatever its drug-culture name, meth has spread throughout our region, making Anderson's words all too prophetic. As if to punctuate his warning, the explosion of an illegal meth lab occurred just days later in Bulls Gap, killing two men and leaving another in intensive care. In the three years since, the production, distribution and use of meth have grown to epidemic levels, not only on the local level but across much of the nation. [continues 501 words]
Violent crime in the United States dropped for the third year in a row last year, property crime for the second. Crime is down in metropolitan counties and rural counties. It's down in the South, in the West, in the Midwest, in the Northeast. Either property crimes or violent crimes or both decreased last year in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Little Rock, Jackson, Miss., Atlanta, Louisville, Ky., and New Orleans. Experts disagree on why. No doubt demographic issues play a role. In "Freakonomics," a provocative best-seller, University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt argues that legalized abortion began reducing the demographic cohort responsible for most crime in the 1990s. [continues 1186 words]
Substance abuse policy is not the result of suspicious activity within Sheriff's Dept. The Madison County Sheriff's Department has announced it will begin random drug testing of all its employees within 60 days. Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork said Friday that a new substance abuse policy implementing random drug testing will begin by Sept. 1 and will involve all 215 department employees, including corrections officers, and administrative personnel. Woolfork said implementation of the new policy was not due to any incident or suspicious activity within the department. [continues 271 words]
Alcoa, Maryville Police Return To Unit The Alcoa and Maryville police departments are again directly involved in the Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force. The two law enforcement agencies were part of the task force during its first 10 years of operation but withdrew their personnel and ceased other involvement in early 1999. Now, city officers are again assigned to the task force, increasing the manpower dedicated to drug enforcement. The Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force was formed in 1988 as a joint operation involving the Blount County District Attorney General's Office, Blount County Sheriff's Office, Alcoa Police Department and Maryville Police Department. Fifty percent of the operation was funded by the county and each city provided 25 percent. Three county deputies were assigned to the unit and each city assigned one officer. [continues 330 words]
Apologies And Tears Mark Final Chapter In Police Brutality Case Gerald David Webber Jr.: He stood before U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan with the same sort of coolness with which he directed the July 2004 attack on Lester Eugene Siler. Webber, former narcotics chief for the Campbell County Sheriff's Office, was the deputy who rounded up four of his badge-wearing comrades and headed out to the convicted drug dealer's White Oak community trailer, where Siler was beaten and tortured. [continues 1213 words]
We are in the midst of an epidemic of catastrophic proportions. The epidemic is the methamphetamine use and production in the state. We have seen how meth use can cause a father to subject his 3-year-old daughter to unbelievable torture, as in the Haley Spicer case. Meth is an insidious drug that completely alters the addict's value system and it is addictive the first time it is used. Nothing is more important than the drug - not spouse, not family, not children or God. What you don't know about meth can and will hurt your family. We cannot simply sit back and say, "That's a rural problem" or "That's an inner-city problem." Methamphetamine use is on the increase, and if it is in the next county or next door, it is your problem. [continues 167 words]
A Meth Lab Explodes. The site: a trailer at the edge of the Old Hubbard School property on Hubbard School Lane. Blount County Sheriff's Office deputies arrive, and Blount County firefighters douse the burning building. It's a scenario that requires the help of a lot of emergency services agencies, and Wednesday morning they all tested their skills during the largest decontamination exercise held in Blount County. It was only a test, no buildings blew up and no arrests were made. The 11 victims taken to Blount Memorial Hospital, including one child, weren't really hurt. [continues 377 words]
Others To Receive Sentence Today For Attack On Convicted Drug Dealer The two young boys likely will never meet, but they share a bond that will forever link them. One lost his father - former lawman Joshua Monday - to prison Tuesday. The other lost his faith in police because Monday brutalized his father. "It's a tragedy for all concerned," U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan said as he sentenced Monday to six years in prison for his role in the beating and torture of Lester Eugene Siler. [continues 623 words]
Pointing Fingers: Real Criminal Man Behind Their Abuse Of Power If court records are any indication, when five former lawmen face judgment this week for beating, torturing and threatening a drug dealer, there will be lots of finger pointing. They will accuse each other. They will argue the power of the heat of the moment. They will paint themselves not as criminals but as fallen heroes, whose lives were dedicated to serving others. They will point to the loss of their jobs and reputations. They will cite death, mental illness and emotional struggles. [continues 1511 words]
A report that counties and state agencies are seeing a noticeable decline in methamphetamine production in Tennessee is welcome news for those who are daily waging a war against this threat to our society. Methamphetamine is a very addictive substance that threatens the lives of users who suddenly find themselves hooked after one encounter with the drug. Meth is also a significant danger to persons who by choice or accident come in contact with the dangerous chemical mixtures produced in illegal labs. [continues 248 words]
I'm writing about your weekly poll: "Do you support the Carter County Sheriff's Department discontinuing the DARE program to save approximately $70,000? Common sense tells us that the DARE program should deter our youth from using illegal drugs. But it doesn't. DARE graduates are more likely to use illegal drugs--not less. Common sense tells us that the Earth is the center of the universe and our solar system. But it's not. Common sense tells us that prohibiting a product should substantially reduce the use of the product that's prohibited. Actually, prohibition tends to substantially increase the desire for the product that's prohibited. [continues 91 words]
ERWIN -- Despite indirect lobbying from the new director of the 1st Judicial District Drug Task Force, Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris said Wednesday that he will not rejoin the agency. Unicoi County has not taken part in the DTF since Harris took office in 2002, and the sheriff believes his department would be wise to stay on its own course with drug enforcement. Harris said he will not close the border to Unicoi County to DTF agents who might need to come here to work on a case, but he said a cost-benefit analysis does not weigh in favor of becoming a member of that organization again. [continues 563 words]
On June 27, I had the pleasure of meeting with four representatives from the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a group that promotes and sustains the equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. After reading the June 23 Scene ("Policing Gays"), TEP members questioned whether the Metro Police Department was indiscriminately targeting gay men in sting operations involving chat rooms. Using facts about the investigation that the Scene chose to omit, I assured the group that was not the case. I write this not to defend the police department's investigations or actions, but rather to present a complete picture. [continues 510 words]
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's unauthorized substances tax, modeled after a 13-year-old North Carolina tax aimed at fighting illegal drugs, has generated more than $600,000 in collections and $15 million in assessments since it took effect Jan. 1. "Based on what North Carolina did, we've collected six times more than they did in their first six months," Tennessee Department of Revenue spokeswoman Emily Richard said. With the new tax, people in possession of illegal drugs must purchase stamps marked with a number to be affixed to packages containing the drugs. [continues 396 words]
Money Being Taken From Some Innocent People, Defense Attorneys Say Tennessee modeled its program to collect taxes on illegal drugs after North Carolina's, but early returns indicate that the Volunteer State's 6-month-old effort has been more successful. A report released yesterday showed that Tennessee had collected about six times more taxes on controlled substances as did its neighbor to the east in its first six months. Substances taxed include cocaine, crack, methamphetamine and marijuana. The 10-person unit of the Tennessee Department of Revenue reported that it had collected $606,687 and assessed more than $15 million. The department has spent $376,400 since the program began in January. [continues 416 words]
The Cop Shop Deals With Revelations That It's Targeting Gay Men, Luring Them To Trade Drugs For Sex On Friday, the Metro Police Department's internal affairs unit launched a preliminary inquiry into the conduct of four officers who arrested and allegedly manhandled a gay man suspected of carrying a drug used to enhance sex--an incident the Scene detailed last week ("Policing Gays," June 23). Meanwhile, Police Chief Ronal Serpas met with officials from the Tennessee Equality Project, a local gay rights group, to discuss the the controversial arrest and Hermitage police precinct's use of confidential informants to target gay chat rooms and lure homosexual men into trading drugs for sex. [continues 685 words]
Right on Matt Pulle! You're a champion of injustice and a Nashville treasure. Just read your article "Policing Gays" (June 23). Yeesh--talk about hate crimes. I'm still speechless after reading it. Does the Hermitage KGB think the majority of drug users in Nashville are gay? Is this really the most effective use of their time and our taxpayer dollars? The conduct of the Hermitage police is certainly criminal and beyond ignorant and deplorable. Not only are the coondawgs baying up the wrong tree--they don't even know what the hell they're hunting for. I think Steve, the poor fellow they arrested, was right to begin with. He didn't run into the police, but "just a bunch of good ol' boys partying on a Friday night." Except, I don't know what's good about them. Keep up the good work, Matt. Bob Einowski [end]
At one time in my active addiction, I was so desperate to escape the cycle of getting and using and finding ways and means to get more, I considered enrolling in a methadone program in Knoxville. I went so far as to go by the methadone clinic in Knoxville and inquire about the waiting list for enrolling in the program. At the time, it was a week to 10 days before I could get started, too long for an opiate addict to wait. [continues 693 words]
Gov. Phil Bredesen received some good news recently in the state's continuing war against methamphetamine. According to recently released records from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine lab busts have dropped 39 percent from a year ago, thanks in large part to a tough new law that requires cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine to be placed behind pharmacy counters. Clearly, passing this tough new law was the right thing to do. Now, the Bredesen administration should follow through with plans to take the next logical step by boosting both public awareness and access to treatment programs. [continues 249 words]
In response to Brian Williams' letter "Marijuana Should Not Be Illegal," I agree. I believe that many people feel the same way but like every other controversial issue are afraid to stand up for fear of retaliation. One of America's most influential icons of the past half-century, Willie Nelson, has been an outspoken proponent of the legalization of marijuana. Nelson believes that if all the world leaders would smoke a joint before going to work that the world would be a more peaceful place. I agree. [continues 68 words]
Often we feel that new laws are merely another layer of bureaucracy without much, if any, real benefit anticipated. Apparently the state's new law requiring that some of the cold medicines used to make the illegal addictive stimulant methamphetamine be placed behind pharmacy counters is working. Meth lab busts in Tennessee were down 39 percent in May when compared with the same month a year earlier. In 2004, law enforcement agencies seized 1,574 labs in Tennessee, the second highest lab seizure rate in the nation. Missouri ranked first. [continues 224 words]
To the Editor: Recent letters have addressed the huge profits made by drug companies. I have heard people say that these drugs improve our quality of life. I would hardly say that being addicted to, let's say, pain pills can make life better for anyone. The fact is many of the drug companies were warned by chemists how powerfully addictive these products would be. Even after the warnings, these life-destroying products were marketed anyway. Oxycodone, Oxycotin and morphine are just a few examples. [continues 184 words]
Statistics tell us as many as 90 percent of drug users will return to drug use and crime following release from prison. By using the concept of Adult Drug Court the repeat offender rate drops to as low as 16 percent one year after completion of the program. Statistics also tell us that for every dollar spent in Drug Court treatment programs we save $10 that would have to be spent in the corrections field. But what numbers don't tell us is the difference a regimented, court-supervised treatment program can have on the entire family of the person involved. [continues 229 words]
Methamphetamine lab seizures in Tennessee are down 39 percent from a year ago, with state officials attributing that to a new law designed to make it harder to make the illicit drug. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, there were 82 lab seizures in May compared to 134 during the same period last year. May was the first full month in which the Meth-Free Tennessee Act was in effect. Gov. Phil Bredesen signed the legislation into law in March. The law stiffens the penalties for making meth and requires pharmacies to move cold and sinus products containing pseudoephedrine, behind the counter. [continues 53 words]
CHATTANOOGA - Methamphetamine lab busts in Tennessee dropped 39 percent from a year ago after the state put cold tablets used to make the addictive stimulant behind pharmacy counters, records show. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration records released to Gov. Phil Bredesen showed 82 labs seized in May following passage of his Meth-Free Tennessee Act, compared to 134 in May 2004. [end]
Metro Cops Use Confidential Informants To Target Gay Chat Rooms And Lure Homosexual Men Into Trading And Selling Drugs. This Undercover Operation Changed The Life Of One Man Who May Well Be Innocent. Despite its upscale name, the Stewarts Ferry Luxury Apartments are more like middle-class projects. Just one exit from the airport, east on I-40, the sprawling complex is crisscrossed by towering power lines that hover over shallow, manmade ponds and more than 600 units that all look the same. There are two pools, a large crystal-blue one near the leasing office and another with an unobstructed view of the interstate. The tiny, faded fountain that greets the complex's residents is dry. [continues 4060 words]
TBI Says Its Old Statistics Underestimated Problem The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's latest crime statistics show slightly more than 2,700 amphetamine drug offenses for 2004, a number that officials say is underreported. "The reason we don't think the number of meth cases is completely accurate is because that figure includes all amphetamines," TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said. "A lot of the meth cases are worked by joint task forces, and often each agency thinks the other agency reports it." [continues 290 words]
Former Memphis Police Officer David Tate pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to 9 of 11 counts in an indictment alleging extortion, conspiracy and transportation of drugs, as well as plotting to burglarize the home of Jerry 'The King' Lawler. In exchange for his plea agreement the government agreed to drop two of the drug charges, one of which carried a possible life sentence. Prosecutors will also dismiss a second indictment for child pornography possession. In accordance with agreements between his attorneys and federal prosecutors, Tate will serve 168 months in a federal prison. He will be sentenced August 23 in front of Judge Bernice Donald. [end]
Inside Tennessee
