News
Governor commutes Owens’ sentence
Jul 14th
The woman who would’ve been the first female executed in Tennessee will instead be eligible for parole in two years.
Disappointing
May 13th
Not guilty verdicts outweigh the guilty verdicts in Vanessa Coleman trial.
Hugh Newsom, Chris Newsom’s father: “That was a pathetic jury, in my opinion…the justice system has let us down. When you select a jury that does not understand the definition of perpetration, what do you expect?”
Mary Newsom: “There can never be closure now.”
Johnson body discovered
May 12th
Investigators have recovered the remains of Jean Johnson, the Scott County woman who was murdered in February 2007.
Oneida man part of Fort Loudoun body discovery
Apr 3rd
Adam Lloyd, of Oneida, was involved in the discovery of a body on Fort Loudoun Lake in South Knoxville yesterday.
Fentress road supt. arrested
Dec 18th
Agents with the TBI arrested Fentress County Road Supt. Fred R. “Butch” Blevins yesterday, according to a news release.
Blevins, 56, was indicted by a Fentress County grand jury on several charges, including theft over $1,000 and official misconduct. An investigation by the TBI alleges that Blevins pocketed funds from the sale of scrap metal that belonged to Fentress County, between the months of December 2007 and February 2008.
Blevins was booked at the Fentress County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Harvey’s motion rejected
Dec 16th
Convicted murderer Charles R. Harvey was in court today in Huntsville.
Harvey is serving a life sentence for the 2003 murder of his estranged son-in-law, Armando Loredo.
The 54-year-old Robbins man was offered a plea deal by the state for voluntary manslaughter, one that could have seen him given a 25-year sentence and eligible for release as soon as 2012. However, he rejected that deal to take his chances at trial.
Harvey petitioned for post-conviction relief earlier this year, saying his attorneys led him to believe he would be acquitted at trial and didn’t properly explain his plea options to him.
Judge Shayne Sexton rejected that motion, saying Harvey’s argument “is not credible.”
More details in next week’s Independent Herald.
Board member charged
Jun 1st
A member of the Scott County Board of Education was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with DUI.
Bradford A. Zachary, of Robbins, was charged with driving under the influence, 2nd offense, according to an arrest warrant filed by Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kris Lewallen. Lewallen allegedly noticed Zachary driving erratically and stopped him as he was pulling into the driveway of his home.
Zachary was elected to the 2nd District school board seat being vacated by Sam Wright in August 2008.
The NPS statement
May 18th
The National Park Service has released a statement about Friday’s deadly canoe accident at Angel Falls (the victim, by the way, was identified as Tony Evans, 61, of Knoxville).
In part:
“All four men were washed through the rapid. They established voice contact and verified that all four had emerged. Two members of the group saw Mr. Evans swimming toward them approximately 100 yards away. Mr. Evans suddenly appeared to experience difficulties. They swam to Mr. Evans, who was unresponsive when they reached him. The two men pulled Mr. Evans to the river bank and attempted to revive him. They were unsuccessful. Mr. Evans was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) at the time of the incident.”
Paddler dies on BSF
May 15th
A 60-year-old paddler died in the Big South Fork this evening.
The Scott County Rescue Squad and National Park Service personnel responded to Leatherwood Ford just before 6 p.m. this evening, and reportedly retrieved the body of a 60-year-old Knoxville man from near the Angel Falls Hiking Trail.
Multiple reports indicated that the man and some companions were in single-occupancy canoes and attempting Angel Falls, a class IV-V rapid approximately two miles downstream from Leatherwood Ford. Reportedly, the canoes capsized, and all the paddlers were able to swim to shore, but one paddler then became unresponsive. A companion then hiked back upstream to Leatherwood Ford to summon help.
It’s hard to believe, but if this is indeed confirmed by the National Park Service to be a paddling-related, it will be the first such death in the 30-year history of the BSF National River & Recreation Area. A number of people have drowned while swimming or slipping into the water — including a 17-year-old swimmer just upstream from Angel Falls last summer — but Chief Ranger Frank Graham said last summer that no person has drowned from a boat since the Big South Fork was established in the 1970s.
Angel Falls is one of two rapids along the Big South Fork River — the other being Devil’s Jump further downstream near Stearns, Ky. — where portage is recommended by even experienced paddlers.
UPDATE: The latest reports indicate that there were four paddlers — not two, as originally reported — and that the deceased man was responsive until he reached the shore. The NPS hasn’t released a statement, and may not until Monday.
UPDATE II: Updated again to change title and wording to better reflect what is believed to have happened.
