Tennessee is so Corrupt that even a Child is not Safe

DOES GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION KNOW NO BOUNDS?

by Catherine Gebhardt

(Jan. 18, 2011) — Corruption is certainly not segregated to either Monroe County or Davidson County, either one. However, I am closer to Monroe County, being it is located only 50 miles from where I reside.

There are issues apparent here involving color of law violations in Sevier County, and the Attorney General’s office reeks of questionable conduct, evidence of misconduct, of which there is no obvious oversight or regulation. It is rumored too, that the federal offices in Knox County do not act despite proof.

My daughter was shot in the head and leg while playing in the snow near my home in Sevier County on December 06, 2009. She was shot while playing with two other kids, one being her twin, and one being their friend. Girls were only 15 years old.

My daughter survived the ordeal; however this ordeal is far from over.

There have been other patterns of reckless conduct with firearms with this family too, as just months before this ordeal, a loaded gun was aimed at my eldest daughter by this same family, of which there is a police report on file.

When my daughter was literally shot, the shooter was charged with felony E reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. Child was treated at UT Hospital in Knoxville and subsequently released.

At the time of the shooting and following the shooting, the police failed to contact the parents of the other minor witness (15 years old) and did not ever contact them to let them know that their child was a witness to a shooting and thus was seriously endangered herself. Finally the child’s father contacted the detective, and found his commentary to be most bizarre…thus the conversation is recorded.

Shots continued to be fired by this same family after this shooting, and my contacts with the sheriff’s office and DA’s office proved to be futile, as sheriff’s office detective indicated the shooter to “have a valid carry permit” and that he could not take his weapons until the conviction of the felony took place. I told the detective repeatedly, as well as the AG’s office, that this conduct was deemed to be that of intimidation and harassment and I felt that I needed a restraining order. Detective and AG’s office were unresponsive to these safety issues and placated me with only lip service, saying they would get back to me, which never occurred.

Subsequently, I myself contacted the department of safety in Nashville and sent them a box load of letters and audios that prove questionable conduct of authorities involved, and they immediately wrote me back a certified letter enlightening me that they immediately suspended the shooters “carry permit” and requested that this case be evaluated and investigated by the TBI. TN Dept. of Safety indicated in writing that by TN law and by statute, the defendant should have had the gun permit suspended after coming under jurisdiction of the court, which occurred on Dec 15, 2009, though they take this information by law enforcement as well. Neither the courts or law enforcement contacted the Dept of safety after my child was shot and the defendant was charged feloniously. Despite this matter being referred from the TN Dept. of Safety to the TBI, I have heard nothing since.

I did speak with a representative of the TBI who stated that they will not investigate any matter without the request of the jurisdictionally related district attorney. The DA here would never consent to have his own office investigated, that I can assure you.

However, I have met with many, many, many authorities in relation to this case.

I was not allowed to be present at the grand jury proceedings, nor was the child literally shot allowed to be there, or the other juvenile girls who were witnesses that day and endangered themselves. The only witness present that day was the sheriff’s office detective, who is known to be friendly with the shooter and the shooter’s family. The grand jury which met in May 2010 came back with no true bill.

Over the last year, I have gruelingly requested records from both the Sevier County sheriff’s department and the Sevier County attorney general’s office, and have encountered much resistance in obtaining these records, so much so that I have had to enlist the help of Ms. Elisha Hodge, JD, head of the open records counsel in Nashville.

I have also personally met with many officials and have recorded each of those conversations.

When meeting with the DA’s office, I was told by the DA himself that I could be at the grand jury proceedings. Though the assistant DA tells me that “he did not know” I wished to be present. However according to the records of the unsealed presentment of the grand jury proceedings, I am listed as a witness for the grand jury, so therefore that makes no sense. Why would my name be listed at all if one did not know that I wished to be there?

Additionally, I questioned the assistant DA as to what was presented to the grand jury by the DA’s office and have been told that what content was presented is a “secret.” I know that this is not true, as I have been advised of such by credible legal counsel, as I am not asking how the grand jury deliberated or what their vote was which is truly secretive by statute; I am asking what content was presented in efforts to get an indictment by PUBLIC TAX PAID OFFICIALS that are supposed to protect crime victims and abide by ethics.

At that meeting too with the attorney general’s office (assistant DA), I asked where the photographs were of the victim that had formerly been in the prosecutorial file that I saw when meeting with this same gentleman in March of 2010. I was told by the assistant AG that “he did not know where those photos were.” I found that hard to believe, as if the custody of the AG file remains within the custody of the AG, if he did not know about this, who exactly did know?

The detective who appeared as the only witness in these grand jury proceedings did not present the gunshot photos taken at the scene of the victim to the grand jurors who met in May 2010, and that is why no true bill was found. Authorities here did not want me, nor my daughters, nor their friend to be present at these proceedings, as they did not wish to enlighten any of the grand jury members that a child was indeed shot.

I too, have photos of my daughter’s gunshot wounds taken at the scene on my cell phone. I am sure if I mailed those pictures to those who sat upon the grand jury in May 2010, they would all state they never knew this.

Ironically, other oddities have occurred too, with the records thus obtained. Such as, it is a matter of record that the sheriff’s office detective closed the investigation on this matter BEFORE acquiring the statement of the victim.

Local news here too will not print unbiased news or journalism, as the newspaper editor here locally is wrapped up by corrupt county authorities as I hear is true in many communities in this region. However, WATE in Knoxville did televise a story on this matter in Feb. 2010.

This is it again in summary. Minor daughter was shot in the head and leg approximately a year ago. Daughter is still carrying around fragments in her head and leg which cannot be retrieved to date. Two other juveniles were endangered at that time too, at the time of the shooting, one being the child’s shot twin sister and their friend. Shooter was charged with Felony E Reckless Endangerment. I was not allowed to be at the grand jury proceedings despite the fact that I have the Sevier County DA on audio saying I could. Case was closed by the district attorney the day following the grand jury proceedings in May 2010. I am even listed as a witness on the unsealed presentment of the grand jury documentation, though was not allowed to be present at all as a witness, nor were the other kids who were present on the scene at the shooting, who were 15 years old. Detective with the Sevier County sheriff’s office who investigated this matter is friendly with the shooter and shooter’s family. Detective was the only witness present at the grand jury where there was no true bill found. The victim herself was denied the right to be there, as were other witnesses.  Detective did not tell the grand jurors that a child was literally shot and thus no true bill was found.

I have met personally with many authorities about this ordeal and have substantial documentation, audios, letters, etc, which easily point to a conspiratorial effort by both the sheriff’s office and attorney general’s office to obstruct justice in this case. This is a gross color of law violation, which as citizenry rumor, occurs with frequency in this county.

Civil suit has been filed on this case in Sevier County court, exactly one year to the day, being Dec. 06, 2010. Additionally, another Knoxville attorney has been retained to take this matter back to the grand jury functioning as a special prosecutor. He took affidavits in latter Dec. 2010 from all those who were present on the day of the shooting, which was never done by the detective or the district attorney’s office, ever…this lawyer also states that the detective is very wrong…as I am also in possession of an audio that transpired with that detective and the father of the other child involved, with some eye-raising commentary in relation to this case. I have had so much difficulty in obtaining records from both the AG’s office and the Sevier County sheriff’s office that I have had to enlist the assistance of Ms. Elisha Hodge, JD, the head of the open records counsel in Nashville, to obtain anything. What I have obtained also is most odd…for example, the sheriff’s office detective closed the investigation on this shooting before ever acquiring the statement of the victim herself. Many oddities which are provable. Detective engaged in aggravated perjury….yet the DA here does not investigate or prosecute those in the good ole boy system, as DA is a good ole boy himself. There is little to no oversight to the attorney general’s office.

I will ultimately seek counsel too to file an action against the county for a gross color of law violation which has deprived my daughter of her civil rights and liberties. Due to the malfeasance present in this county, I will need an aggressive individual who does not scare easily, with passion to do the right thing, with federal privileges.

Honestly, in the 21st century, one would think that TN would be progressive enough to have laws that provide a means of recording to state or county level grand juries. To date, only federal grand juries are recorded by stenography in the state of TN, NOT COUNTY OR STATE. That really is ludicrous, as it is an open invitation to further prosecutorial misconduct, which occurs here most rampantly. The only difference in this case is that they have been caught.

As long as people are silent about these sorts of activities, they condone further wrongdoing.

Again, in essence, the corruption is all over TN, especially in this region, close to Monroe County.

However, in any county, if we can shoot children and cover it up, just how “just” is our society, really?….and upon a more eerie note, do we care? Has corruption become so commonplace that we do not know the difference between right and wrong anymore?

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Editor’s Note: When The Post & Email received Ms. Emory’s article, which is presented here  as it was submitted with the exception of a few minor changes, we asked her if we had her permission to publish it.  Her response was:

Please do…..I can use all the news coverage I can get on this. I appreciate your time and effort.  The local paper here would not even print that a child was shot and two others seriously endangered.  They would not touch it, as anything that points negatively to our sheriff’s department or attorney general’s office, they will not print. They are bought and paid for at THE MOUNTAIN PRESS.

I am absolutely astounded.

I myself am politically outspoken about many events in our community, and I believe a big part of this mess, of this conspiratorial effort, is an act of retaliation toward me. However, this has hurt an innocent kid as well as victimized our entire family.

I certainly am not through with this….I do not care if I have to grace the office of the US Presidency, as malfeasance jeopardizes every person who resides in this community. I cannot believe a detective can lie to a grand jury and not be prosecuted for it.

I really appreciate your feedback.

Thank you.