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Archives
11-23-2005
LA defeats Catholic, will host semifinal
Mac McLeod/OCN Sports
Superseding indictment issued against former jail employees A superseding indictment was issued Wednesday, Nov. 16 charging that three former Overton County Sheriff's Department employees while acting under color of law, did willfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and with other persons to injure, oppress, and intimidate detainees at Overton County Jail. The superseding indictment names Michael Gilpatrick, Gary Grigg, and Johnny Gann as defendants. The indictment alleges that on or about January 31, Gary Grigg spoke with James Loftis and Michael Gilpatrick about arranging for inmates to assault Ricky Allen Beaty and Danny Thomas Bowman. Gilpatrick allegedly directed Loftis to have two inmates carry out the assault, and in the presence of Johnny Gann, two inmates were asked to assault Beaty and Bowman. Gilpatrick allegedly directed jail employees to take Beaty out of his holding cell at the jail and move him to Pod 133, where the inmates who had allegedly been recruited by Loftis were housed, and Beaty was beaten and assaulted. The indictment alleges that Loftis and Gann watched the beating, and that on February 24, Gann encouraged one of the inmates involved in the beating to write a false and misleading report to cover up the conspiracy. Gilpatrick, former Overton County Jail administrator, was arrested by the FBI on June 23. The indictment supersedes his initial charges. Loftis, former Overton County jailer, has already pled guilty in federal court to conspiring with other jail employees to arrange the beating, but has yet to be sentenced. Beaty had reportedly been arrested after a domestic dispute with his 19 year-old daughter and was put in Overton County Jail for a required 12-hour stay. When that case was brought before Overton County Grand Jury, it received a No True Bill.
THP emphasizes enforcement for Thanksgiving Members of Tennessee Highway Patrol will work extra hours this Thanksgiving holiday weekend in an effort to reduce the number of crashes in the state. Troopers in counties throughout Tennessee will also conduct sobriety and driver license checkpoints between Wednesday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 27. Department of Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips said, "The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. As traffic increases, the risk for accidents and injuries also rises. In response to this potential threat to motorists, the THP will step up patrols throughout the holiday weekend." The 2005 Thanksgiving holiday period begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23 and runs through midnight Sunday, Nov. 27. The official holiday period is 102 hours long. Thirteen people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roads during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2004. That represents a reduction from 15 fatalities in 2003 and 17 in 2002. This holiday period has historically been one of the deadliest in Tennessee. In 1966, 34 people were killed in traffic crashes in the state. The lowest figure on record is for 1983, when 7 people died in crashes during the holiday weekend. Colonel Lynn Pitts, commander of Tennessee Highway Patrol, said, "We work to make the highways safe for all residents and visitors. Our emphasis on safety enforcement will remain firm, especially during this hectic holiday period. "We concentrate on factors that contribute to
fatal crashes: unlicensed drivers, failure to wear seat belts, speeding,
and impaired driving. By focusing on these areas, we're working
to improve highway safety for the motoring public."
Overton County News |
