Arrested in New Mexico

A Monroe County man wanted for aggravated vehicular homicide was arrested by New Mexico authorities over the weekend. Pedersen, 41 of Tellico Plains had been on the run since May 20th, 2009. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Pedersen and Angela Nichols, 36 of Madisonville were driving down Lick Creek when he lost control of his truck, hit an embankment and slammed into a tree. Nichols was pronounced dead on the scene. Pedersen was injured in the wreck and managed to leave town before charges were filed against him.

This is the type of problem the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee will address. Why should any prior offenses fall off this guys charge after he bolted from thejurisdiction?

http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/81202782.html

House panel on Red Light and speed cameras

NASHVILLE – A House committee recommended today a major rewrite of state laws on traffic surveillance cameras, including a reduction in penalties that can be assessed and a two-year moratorium on putting new cameras in place.

The House Transportation Committee, which has been conducting hearings for months on the use of cameras to ticket motorists for running red lights or speeding, took a series of votes on multiple proposals.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jan/12/legislators-debate-use-traffic-cameras/

Senate bill in Judiciary Committee deferred to 1/26

The bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee to toll the 10 and 20 year relation back date for prior offenses was deferred to January 26th this afternoon.

Drinking under age crackdown

The Chattanooga booking report for Jan 9th included 16 persons charged with drinking underage.
Must have been a pretty effective crackdown. More details soon.

One-bottle meth more like a bomb

The Murfreesboro Sunday paper has an intreresting and scary article about the arrest of Edwin Beasley by officers Ken Meeks and KeeSha Harding. Mr. Beasley was dazed, confused, sweating and his face was flushed. Police found a 2 liter bottle with a substance boiling inside. After Beaslety was released from the hospital he was charged with DUI, reckless endangerment, and a meth manufacturing charge. This one pot "shake and bake" method creates the equivalent of a bomb. That's not a good thing to have anytime, but especially at the gas pumps!

Read about it in the Murfreesboro Post at: http://www.murfreesboropost.com/one-bottle-meth-more-like-a-bomb-cms-21300

Trial Convictions affirmed

This Week in the Court of Criminal Appeals
January 8, 2010

Trial Conviction Affirmed Prosecutor Top Charge
State v Orr Kelly Jackson DUI 4th
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/cc1qtr2010.shtml

State v Ferrell William Locke DRL
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Richard%20Ferrell.pdf

State v Simmons Tom Minor Agg sexual battery
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Jeffery%20Simmons.pdf

State v Brown Alanda Dwyer & Colin Campbell 1st Degree murder
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Darren%20Brown.pdf

NAPC's Prosecutor Fellow, and Montgomery County, TX, Vehicular Crimes prosecutor, Warren Diepraam, was interviewed on MSNBC just before New Year's for his use of Twitter by the Montgomery County, Texas DA's office.

They tweat the name of DUI offenders arrested during the holiday season.

Below is a link to the interview concerning this interesting idea.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34623440#34623440msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34623440#34623440