Man stabbed repeatedly for alleged sexual assault of teen

7-3-2014 Tennessee:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man was arrested for attempted criminal homicide early Sunday morning after stabbing a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl.

The attack occurred Saturday evening at a home in the 100 block of Hamblen Avenue in Old Hickory

According to the affidavit, Dartanion McGee, 31, attacked the man after overhearing a phone conversation about the alleged sexual assault.

The victim suffered at least five puncture wounds as well as injuries to his head, face, neck and back.

He was taken to Skyline Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. He was able to tell police he remembered being attacked in his room but lost consciousness during the assault.

McGee was charged with attempted criminal homicide and booked into the Metro jail.

His bond was set at $250,000. ..Source.. by WKRN-TV.com

Tennessee father charged with beating up man who tried to solicit his children

7-16-15 Tennessee:

MAURY COUNTY, TN (WKRN) – A Maury County father is facing criminal charges after he allegedly beat up a man accused of soliciting his two young daughters.

Kenneth Faulkner, 30, is charged with aggravated assault. He was arrested last Thursday and held in the Maury County jail before posting bond the next day.

Faulkner says he was upset that Thomas Williams, 67, was sentenced to just three years of supervised probation for soliciting his two daughters, ages 4 and 7.

He says his children are related to Williams by marriage.

The father told News 2 he suspected sexual abuse and reported it to the Columbia Police Department last December.

According to court documents, on March 5 a Maury County Grand Jury indicted Williams on two counts of solicitation of a minor, defined as “unlawfully and intentionally and being eighteen years of age or older, by means of oral, written, or electronic communication, electronic mail or Internet services, directly or through another, to intentionally command, request, hire, persuade, invite or attempt to induce a person, to-wit to engage in the offense of sexual battery by an authority figure.”

Police: Inmates attack Kingsport child rape suspect

11-1-2013 Tennessee:

Three inmates face additional charges after allegedly attacking a Kingsport child rape suspect on Thursday afternoon.

According to a police report, the assault occurred as the four men were in a holding cell awaiting appearances in Kingsport court, with one suspect saying they were motivated by the charges of sex crimes against a child.

Robert Owens, 35, of 5278 Orebank Road, Daniel Powell, 22, of 219 Mt. Andrews Private Drive, and Derrick Swanson, 34, of 181 Shadyview Road, were charged in the incident.

A Sullivan County Sheriff's Office arrest report identifies the victim as Michael Bear, 25. He was arrested last Wednesday by Kingsport police on one charge of rape of a child.

Bear was in a holding cell with the three suspects, all of whom were awaiting appearances in Kingsport General Sessions Court. An officer reports that while observing a screen that allows police to view the cell, someone "covered the camera," preventing him from seeing what was occurring inside.

When the officer went to the cell door, Owens was observed holding Bear around the neck, while Powell was hitting Bear in the face. Swanson reportedly ran away from the skirmish and sat down.

Interviews with the inmates allegedly revealed Swanson was also striking Bear, with the men attacking, "because of his charges." Police say Bear didn't sustain any serious injuries.

Each of the other three inmates were charged with simple assault.

Owens was originally arrested by the SCSO on Oct. 26 on charges of drug possession, assault, failure to appear and violation of probation. Powell was booked into the Kingsport jail Sept. 24 on charges of credit card fraud, ID theft and theft from a building. Swanson was arrested Sept. 20 and charged with driving while suspended and assault. ..Source.. by Rain Smith

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Police: 3 inmates attack detainee charged with child rape

KINGSPORT, Tennessee — Police in Tennessee say three inmates attacked and beat a detainee awaiting trial on a charge of raping a child.

The Kingsport Times News reported (http://bit.ly/1bK373d ) that 35-year-old Robert Owens, 22-year-old Daniel Powell and 34-year-old Derrick Swanson were charged with simple assault.

Police say the three men covered a security camera, then held down and beat 25-year-old Michael Bear in the Sullivan County Jail while all four were together in a holding cell on Thursday.

Owens was originally arrested by the SCSO on Oct. 26 on charges of drug possession, assault and failure to appear. Powell was booked into the Kingsport jail Sept. 24 on charges of credit card fraud, ID theft and theft from a building. Swanson was arrested Sept. 20 and charged with driving while suspended and assault. ..Source.. by Daily JOurnal

Mother Nearly Kills Coach Accused of Molesting her Children

8-21-2012 Tennessee:

A mother nearly beat a man to death with a baseball bat. She says she did it because the man sexually assaulted her sons, both under ten years old.

Lakeshia Richmond, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault. She posted bond Sunday morning. Richmond says the man she nearly killed is a community football coach. She claims her children weren't the only ones who were molested by the coach.

"I asked my son, did he touch you bad, did he touch you down there and my little boy said yes and I said was it just you and he said no, he touched some more kids,” Lakeshia Richmond told ABC24 News.

Richmond is referring to Coach Red. He is one of the coaches of Richmond's 8 and 9 year old sons' football team. They practice at Magnolia Elementary school in South Memphis. She says it's normal for her kids and their teammates to spend the night at one of the coach’s house but she became concerned when the head coach called her Saturday for a meeting with Coach Red. It’s only then that she said her children told her what happened.

"My 8 year old said he wanted to play hide and seek and that he (Coach Red) grabbed my 9 year old’s hand and put it on the coach’s private part and my 9 year old said, ‘no that's bad, that's nasty' and the coach said no this is what college people do,” said Richmond.

On her way to the meeting Richmond saw Coach Red in the 1800 block of Person Avenue and couldn't hold back.

"He was running away,” said Richmond. “I didn't say anything to him I just blinked out. When I saw him, I saw my kids being hurt, that’s it.”

Neighbors say Richmond chased the coach down the street to a neighbor’s carport and then started beating him with a bat.

“There was blood splattered all over my carport,” said a neighbor Jackie Woods. “She beat his head open, split his head."

Richmond says she did call police to report the coach but everything happened so fast.

“I was hoping the police made it to him before I did,” said Richmond. "He was saying he didn't do it and he was sorry. If you didn't do it why are you saying you're sorry? What are you sorry for?"

Neighbors don't believe Richmond should have been taken to jail for beating the coach.

“I probably would have beaten him too. I'm serious. I would've just lost it, really I would have,” said Woods.

"If that's truly what happened I probably would've responded the same way. I’m going to defend my family,” said another neighbor Willie Gholston.

Richmond doesn't know how long the supposed abuse has been going on but says 8 other children are saying the same story.

"They're suffering, they toss and turn at night, and they really just ain’t been sleeping because they've been scared. They were even scared to tell me. I mean I’m their mom,” stated Richmond. “If I don’t protect them then who will?"

The coach's family refused to speak with ABC24 News on camera but they did say he's innocent. He was in critical condition but is now stable now at the MED. No charges have been filed against the coach. Memphis Police are still investigating this case. Richmond is expected to be in court Monday morning. ..Source.. by Jackie Orozco

Convicted Sex Offender Causes Concern In Coopertown

9-4-2007 Tennessee:

Some members of the Coopertown community in Robertson County are making it their personal crusade to warn people about a convicted sex offender in their neighborhood.

The convicted sex offender, Charles Cornelius Sloan, is living across the street from the Coopertown Middle School and next to a daycare and there is nothing authorities can do about it.

Sloan, who was convicted of convicted of aggravated sexual battery in January 1997, was living in his home at 3839 Highway 47 West before Tennessee law required convicted sex offenders to live at least 1,000 feet away from schools and daycares.

Neighbor Judy Ellis is making awareness her mission.

She said, “I don't think he deserves any protection. I don't think he needs to hide in that pretty little house of his and not have his own sign in the front yard."

Ellis said if she had it her way, it would be very clear where convicted sex offenders live within the area.

“There should be a sign in their yard until he drops dead,” she told News 2.

Threat to state senator traced

TBI says imprisoned murderer sent letter to frame another inmate
2-13-2007 Tennessee:

NASHVILLE - A threatening letter sent to state Sen. Tim Burchett's legislative office has been traced to an imprisoned murderer who was trying to have another inmate blamed, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman said Monday.

The three-page letter, written in large block print and laced with obscenities, purported to be from a convicted sex offender - who provided his name, prison identification number and expected release date - saying he was "sick and tired of seeing (Burchett) on the news talking about child molesters."

The letter at one point threatened to kill Burchett, a Knoxville Republican, unless he sent $100,000 to an address that would be supplied later. Later in the letter, however, the writer said, "I change my mind! I am still going to kill you anyway!!"

There were also threats against a former district attorney general and a declaration that the writer would "rape and torture" children.

Burchett has sponsored numerous bills in the past and present that would enhance penalties for child abusers and molesters and make it easier to prosecute them.

He said the language used in the letter raised concerns of his staff, and he decided to ask the TBI to investigate. The letter referred to Burchett's home address.

Jennifer Johnson, spokeswoman for the TBI, said the agency established that the name used in the letter was indeed that of an inmate at Northeast Correctional Complex who was a child sex offender.

"We were able to determine it (the letter) was not from that inmate but another inmate in (prison) for murder," she said. "They had some kind of a dispute, and he (the murderer) was doing that to get back at the other, trying to frame him, I guess, for lack of a better word," she said.

She declined to release the inmate's name, saying he had not been charged with a crime. The area district attorney general's office, she said, had decided against prosecution of an inmate "with something like 50 years still left on his sentence."

"Anything we charged him with would be far less than he's already facing," Johnson said. "He was incapable of making good on the threat, and it seems to us the whole thing stems from a dispute with another inmate rather than any effort to actually get at the senator."

Still, she said Burchett was wise to contact the TBI because the threat "could have been something serious."

Burchett praised the TBI's handling of the matter. The senator said he "alerted some friends who could take care of business" living near his home about the letter, but otherwise took no special precautions.

He said "maybe a dozen" threats of one sort or another have been made against him since his election to the Legislature, though none that have caused a serious concern. ..more.. by TOM HUMPHREY

For Tennessee sex offenders, no Halloween festivities are allowed

10-28-2006 Tennessee:

Under new guidelines (parole/probation), trick-or-treating, costumes, handing out candy forbidden

.NASHVILLE - Costume parties, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses and handing out treats are forbidden under newly issued Halloween guidelines for Tennessee sex offenders on probation or parole. The guidelines are meant to clarify policies that prevent offenders from interacting with children, said Board of Probation and Parole spokesman Jack Elder, and were not enacted in response to any specific problems the board has seen during the Halloween season.

The restrictions prohibit sex offenders from attending special Halloween events like corn mazes and haunted houses, handing out treats, displaying Halloween decorations, accompanying trick-or-treating children or wearing costumes. They apply to all sex offenders on probation or parole - about 2,000 of the 8,100 registered offenders living in the state - and not specifically to those offenders whose crimes involved minors. "No matter what their sex offense might have been, they must adhere to the same rules," Elder said. "Any sex offender is not supposed to have contact with minors. They all sign the same directives."

That means offenders with children must find someone else to accompany them trick-or-treating, he said. Offenders may not wear costumes, even at adult parties. And if other children come to knock on their doors on Halloween, the offenders must not answer. Tennessee isn't the only state keeping close watch on sex offenders during Halloween. New York issued similar Halloween restrictions for sex offenders this year. In Lima, Ohio, and Gaston County, N.C., sex offenders have been ordered to attend meetings with authorities that coincide with the prime hours for trick-or-treating.

Inmate Injured (Accused Sex Offender)

3-10-2005 Tennessee:
.A mentally challenged man accused of molesting a child in a Tri-Cities business is in the hospital tonight. 43 year-old David McClellan was found bleeding and suffering from facial injuries around noon Tuesday in a holding cell in the Kingsport detention center. McClellan was in the cell with 7 or 8 other inmates when guards heard a commotion.

Now no one seems to know what happened says Detective Captain Johnny Murray, "If there is a crime and and you have witnesses they aren't talking you have this bond in the inmates." One of McClellan's lawyers, Lynn Dougherty, says it is obvious that he was beaten. Dougherty says McClellan needed stitches. Now his eyes are swollen shut, he has a busted nose, and he has severe bruising across his face. : by TriCities.com ..more..