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Club Erotica Raided - Court Asked to Padlock Business |
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Sheriff Monte Belew serves
civil papers on Tom E. Denton, sole proprietor of Club
Erotica in Paris.
By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
PARIS (March 2, 2007) - District Attorney Hansel
McCadams filed a petition with Circuit Court Judge
Donald Parish to permanently close Club Erotica, 2800
Highway 79 South, Paris, following a Friday night raid
of the adult entertainment club. McCadams has asked that
the business be closed to abate a nuisance to the
community. Judge Parish will hear the complaint Monday,
March 12.
Law enforcement agents from at least six agencies
executed a search warrant at 11:20 p.m. Friday. In a
show of overwhelming force, officers created a blockade
- eliminating all ingress and egress to and from the
business - with the more than 20 police cars and vans.
K-9 officers and handlers canvass patrons' vehicles in
search of illicit drugs.
Arrested were:
Sarah Marie Wilkerson, 29, Locust Street, McKenzie for
possession of a schedule VI drug with intent to sell.
Caleb Eugene Hyatt, age 23, of Cottage Grove for
possession of schedule II and VI drugs.
Steven Neil Rickard, address unknown, age 33, for
disorderly conduct and interference with law process.
Tyrone Eugene Nash, age 50, Huntingdon, for public
intoxication.
Justin Lynn Essary, age 22, for simple possession of
schedule VI.
Henry County Sheriff Monte Belew said officers also
seized five video cameras, $2,300 in cash, and many
videos during the raid.
Sheriff Belew served a temporary restraining order
against Tom E. Denton, sole proprietor of the business.
The complaint indicates operatives for the 24th Judicial
District Drug Task Force, based in McKenzie, and the
Henry County Sheriff's Department conducted visual
surveillance of the location, purchased drugs there on
multiple occasions, and made numerous arrests for an
array of illegal activity.
The raid follows a June 2006 raid in which officers
found six bottles of liquor, a cooler full of beer, a
handgun, none of which belonged to the patrons. Also
found during that raid were VHS tapes, one of which
contained recorded acts of prostitution committed on the
premises of the club.
Friday night, officers rolled in from Hwy 218 in a
convoy, activated blue lights at the intersection of US
79 and 218, and descended on the business en masse.
Several officers entered the building while others
surrounded the building. Three drug dogs cavassed
patrons' vehicles and inside the business for illicit
drugs. Sheriff Belew stated that methamphetamine and
marijuana were found inside the business.
Approximately 30 patrons and dancers were escorted
outside the business into the cold night air as
uniformed and plain-clothed officers searched the
building. Approximately five persons were arrested, the
details of those charged will be released later.
Assisting in the raid were Henry County Sheriff's
Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - Drug
Investigative Division, Metro Crime Unit - a special
unit comprised of officers of the Paris Police
Department and HCSD, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Puryear
PD's K-9 and handler, and K-9s from HCSD and the Metro
Crime Unit.
The complaint to deem the business as a nuisance cited
the following incidents:
On December 16, 2005 DTF arrested a dancer who sold 1.1
grams of methampethamine to an agent.
On April 12, 2005 DTF agents purchased 112 grams of
marijuana from a club manager.
On April 29, 2005 a DTF agent purchased 6.1 grams of
cocaine from a club manager.
In June 2004 a DTF informant purchased a small amount of
marijuana from the club manager.
On June 24, 2006, execution of a search warrant netted
video tapes, liquor, beer, and a handgun. An employee
was arrested for possession of a firearm where alcohol
is served. At that time, an arrest was made for
possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell and
illegal possession of legend drugs.
From January 2005 to December 2006, law enforcement
officers made numerous investigations and arrests
concerning public intoxication, DUI, theft of money,
theft of prescription drugs, stolen credit cards,
vandalism to a customer's vehicle, possession of a
prohibited weapon, assault, and underage consumption of
alcohol. |
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Gleason police officer suspended from duty |
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By David Fisher
Staff Reporter |
Gleason’s Assistant Police Chief Jeff Hazlewood has been
demoted and suspended from duty pending the outcome of a
psychological evaluation, after he allegedly fired a
weapon several times while under the influence of
alcohol.
According to a Gleason Police Department report filed by
Investigator David Andrews, Jr., at approximately 5:14
p.m. on Sunday, February 11, Officer Andrews was
dispatched to 501 East Union Street in Gleason to
investigate a report of shots being fired near that
location.
Upon his arrival at the scene, Officer Andrews spoke
with the complainant, Joe Reynolds, who told him that
the people who had just moved into the house next door
had been shooting a gun and they were being loud.
Officer Andrews says that he then went to the red brick
house located just west of the home of the complainant
and spoke to Officer Hazlewood, who had a bottle of
alcohol in his possession. Officer Andrews told
Hazlewood that a complaint had been made about a weapon
being fired. Hazlewood replied that he was “done for the
day and everything was okay.”
Hazlewood then asked if Reynolds had complained, to
which Andrews stated that he had. At first, Hazlewood
cursed and told the officer that if Mr. Reynolds wanted
to complain he should do so at a board meeting. But
then, Hazlewood apologized several times.
Andrews states that the residence where this took place
was that of Hazlewood’s girlfriend. He added that Scott
Riley was also present and had a container of open
alcohol.
Andrews states that Hazlewood appeared to be under the
influence of alcohol and had been firing a weapon in an
unsafe area. Andrews also notes that he heard the shots
being fired prior to getting a call for service.
Due to Hazlewood being Officer Andrews’ superior
officer, he then left the scene and informed Police
Chief Edmond Stewart about Hazlewood discharging a
firearm inside the city limits while being under the
influence of alcohol.
Gleason Mayor Jack Dunning and Stewart met with
Hazlewood at approximately 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February
13, in reference to the offense.
Hazlewood was advised that, effective the date of the
meeting on February 13, he was suspended without pay for
seven working days. During this time, the offense was to
be presented to the Gleason City Board of Mayor and
Aldermen for any other charges to be brought forward.
The suspension was made in accordance with the Police
Department Rules and Procedures Manual, for conduct
unbecoming of an officer, either while on or off duty
detrimental to the services, and careless or negligent
handling of firearms.
After consulting with the Mayor and Aldermen on
Thursday, February 22, Chief Stewart demoted Jeff
Hazlewood from Assistant Chief to the rank of Patrolman.
“He is required to get a psychological evaluation,”
Chief Stewart said. “That’s set up for Wednesday night.
He can’t work until I get a report on that.”
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Elm Street House Burns Twice, Arson Suspected in Second
Blaze |
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McKenzie Firefighters Dale Mathis, Daniel Tucker, Mitzi
Nelson and Jason Kernodle battle a second blaze at the
Pettigrew home Sunday.
McKenzie firefighters responded to a house fire at 298 Elm
Street on Friday, March 2 and again on Sunday, March 4, when
the house again became involved with flames. The second
response is being investigated as an arson fire, according
to Fire Chief Brian Tucker. The house was owned by Neal
Capps and occupied by the Pettigrew family.
The initial Friday alarm was received at 5:23 p.m.
Firefighters arrived at the corner of Elm and West End
streets to find flames escaping from the rear of the home.
An aggressive attack was made to knock down the flames,
enabling firefighters to enter the structure to control an
extension of the fire.
During salvage and overhaul operations, an investigation
determined the blaze originated in a bedroom near the
doorway between the bedroom and utility room. The cause was
possibly an extension cord that was operating a 110-volt
space heater, said Tucker. Firefighters remained on the
scene approximately two hours.
On Sunday, MFD was again called to the scene to find the
structure involved with flames and heavy smoke. Firefighters
knocked down the blaze and an investigation revealed that
two young males were seen running from the structure at the
time the fire started. The cause and origin of the fire is
still under investigation by McKenzie Fire Department and
McKenzie Police Department. Firefighters remained on the
scene approximately two-and-one-half hours during that call.
In a separate incident, McKenzie Fire Department received a
call from Weakley County on Friday, March 2 at 5:33 p.m.
concerning a barn fire at 804 Old Highway 22.
On arrival, firefighters found a large barn totally
involved. Residents reported that a tractor and truck were
inside the structure. MFD was assisted by Gleason Fire
Department in extinguishing the blaze. Firefighters returned
to the station at 6:46 p.m.
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Vehicle strikes horses, residence in Atwood. |
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The van of Randy “Josh” Ward was destroyed after it struck
two horses and a house.
By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckenziebanner.com |
ATWOOD-(March 2, 2007) Two horses were struck and killed
and the driver of a van was transported to Vanderbilt
Hospital in Nashville with serious injuries after a 1:00
a.m. accident.
At approximately 1:00 a.m., Trooper Chris Rollins
investigated a one-vehicle accident that occurred on
Highway 79 South in Atwood. According to Rollins, Randy
“Josh” Ward was driving his van along Highway 79 and was
cresting a hill when he struck and killed two horses
that had entered the roadway. The officer noted that
upon striking the horses, Ward’s vehicle traveled
approximately 1,500 feet before striking the rear of a
residence belonging to David Schierbaum, 3160 Highway
79, Atwood and coming to a final rest. Ward received
facial and body lacerations and possible broken bones
during the accident. No written report was available at
press time. |
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