Friday, August 13, 2010

The $1-million speeding ticket


Police with the black Mercedes Benz they caught doing 180mph

Swedish motorist facing world's biggest speeding fine from robot speed camera

In Knoxville TN, even the cops shoot traffic scameras. In USA, 85% of drivers just ignore the tickets and throw them away, without penalty. 80% of revenue from traffic scameras is exported to private companies in Australia and Communist China.

The shootout at the Battle of Athens TN began over speeding tickets...in 1946.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

FTP: Bikers stop to help trooper, blamed for crashing copcar


Bikers stop to help trooper, blamed by trooper to cover his own ass for being a bad driver

Speeding motorcyclist taunts state trooper trapped in crashed car

A state trooper rolled his car multiple times while chasing two reckless motorcyclists, one of whom returned to taunt the injured trooper trooper, officials said.



The incident happened on the northbound ramp from Interstate 5 to State Route 599 at approximately 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Cliff Pratt said the trooper was chasing a group of at least nine members of a south King County motorcycle group who were speeding dangerously and getting too close to cars. As the trooper tried to close in on the fastest biker, he told Pratt that two other bikers cut him off.

"Had he not slowed down and slammed on the brakes, he would have hit them," Pratt said. "At his speed that made him lose control."

The trooper's vehicle rolled several times, finally landing in a ditch alongside the ramp.

"It's infuriating when all we're trying to do is enforce the laws in the state of Washington and protect the public, said Pratt. "Obviously these motorcycles traveling at 100 miles per hour with no regard for the safety of anybody else is a huge problem for us in this area."

As he waited for help to arrive, one of the motorcyclists he'd been chasing returned to the scene, Pratt said. The motorcyclist parked across the street, approached the mangled patrol car on foot, then laughed and clapped at the injured and bleeding trooper before speeding off.

"Now you're talking about a state trooper who rolled his car several times. He's obviously injured, pinned inside his vehicles and you've got a couple of motorcyclists who really don't care whether this trooper lives or dies at this point, to the point where they think it's funny," Pratt said.

Investigators believe they have the motorcyclists' registration information, Pratt said, and they are searching for the two people. No description was available.

Passersby stopped to help and call 911, and the trooper was pulled out of his car by emergency crews and taken to Harborview Medical Center where he was treated for serious injuries, including a head injury. He was released early Wednesday morning.

He was identified as 46-year-old Brian Salyer of Spanaway. He is a 22-year veteran of the force.

Comments: 380

This comment has been deleted by the administrator.

HAHA. That's all I have to say. What goes around comes around. The cop would have been clapping if the motorcyclist had crashed. Funny when the tables are turned!

That takes balls.

texting and driving are dangerous combo. then add a high speed chase too it.

Well... If he didn't have his lights on behind the bike, then technically he wasn't pulling the motorcycle over, and it's still only a speeding/reckless ticket. You guys get all excited like "OOh. He's going to get what's coming to him. Poor cops.". But down here on earth and in reality, usually nothing major comes of it.

I had an experience near Tukwila with the W.S.P. a couple of years ago. I got pulled over for no reason by an old grey haired motorcycle cop. I had a bag of garbage in the back of my truck which contained a couple of beer cans, I got hauled in for D.U.I. and my vehicle got towed. I passed the breathalyzer so they wrote me a speeding ticket (which I later proved I didn't do in court) Then they dropped me of in a parking lot 10 miles away from where my truck was towed to. So I had to hire a cab to get back to my truck then pay $350.00 to get my truck out. I also missed work that day. I have seen with my own eyes how unprofessional some of these cops are. I wouldn’t be surprised if in this current situation it was an old man on a Honda 90 and the W.S.P. just wanted to test out there new pepper spray and billy clubs.

Sorry to say it but the whole thing doesn't add up. Use your critical thinking skills folks.

ps: who is the hot looking Military babe in the lower photo...right side of the WSP car..? 10+ bay-ba..!

yeah..who did pull the cop out of the car? was it by chance one of the motorcycle riders that pulled over to help?

In the still picture above it looks like there are four, maybe five motorcyclists standing there. Are they part of the 9 bikes that the trooper was chasing?

I love how KOMO stated that it was a Ruff Ryder on a white & Blue GSXR... No clue who that could be.. LOL Then went on to say that Ruff Ryders are the equivellant to the Hells Angel's but a sport bike club. LOL Obviously KOMO did not research at all on the motorcycle set, because that is so far off! Understand what you are reporting before you start telling the public unresearched facts. The trooper was not injured or bleeding as he was sitting in his car on his cell phone calling disbatch, completely embarassed. If you are going to try and clip bikers to make them crash & end up crashing yourself, then the only people that stop to come to your aid are bikers, then you want to faulsly report to the news.. Your just a punk cop trying to abuse your power. There were about 30 bikes that stopped to make sure he was OK and stayed with him until other WSP arrived. KOMO is faulsly reporting this story, just from the troopers stand point, of course they dramatized the whole situation. I will never believe anything I ever see on the news again!

Has anyone noticed that KOMO has changed the above story from what they reported since last night? It now says that 2 bikes cut the patrol car off and he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting them thus causing him to lose control of his vehicle.
Also, they are reporting what officer Pratt said or was told by officer Brian Salyer. Keep in mind officer Salyer was the driver of the patrol car that rolled 5-6 times that resulted in serious injuries including a head injury. I wish Salyer a fast a full recovery. supposedly there were more than 30 bikes..where are all the witnesses and video from this incident? I am sure that some of the riders had helmet cams and we know the patrol car has a camera. Video is the only way we will know what really happened.....

Sadly, I have not seen one question as to how Pratt knew the biker taunted and ran. So, now I'll ask. How did Pratt know that a biker came back and taunted the trooper? Was it the trooper with the head injury that reported it? BTW I do hope the trooper makes a complete recovery; however, IF he caused this--I hope that he is also prosecuted.

Awesome. Sounds like the cop got overly agressive in his pursuit and paid the price for his hubris. The public doens't need rambo lone-ranger cops because their actions put the public at greater risk. This is one case out of 100 where the cop is punished for his foolish behavior rather than the public. In this case natural laws punished the guilty. I add my voice in mockery.

his whole story sounds made up from the cops point of view. Lets see the cop vid of the chase. More like in a hurry to get to the donut shop.

With all the stories in the news about various cops doing stooopid and dangerous stuff to citizens, why would you think there isn't a population out there that hates them ? Sometimes deserved...maybe sometimes not,,,,,,but hates them none the less.

Cops LIE all the time, they really lie to get out of a jam they cause. We had a cop in Hawaii that rolled his car and claimed there was a drug deal going on he was chasing. Turns out he was drinking on the job and rolled his car chasing deer. Do NOT believe everything you hear from the police.

What makes you guys think he isn't lying about the whole thing and drunk on the job like this cop that rammed into 3 motorcycles at a stoplight and killed one?

Car 64 Where Are You? Blount County deputy sheriff flipped off by sportbiker for shooting and killing his dog, lured to his demise on the Dragon at Deals Gap

See also:

Rockford cop indicted for murder of cop riding sportbike to work in Blount County by intentionally ramming him without warning

Police Pursuit in Pursuit of Policy: Cops kill 500 Americans every year in chases, including 1/3rd innocent bystanders

THP and Blount County sheriff aid politician who killed sportbiker in hit-and-run crash

Officer Jack McLamb says you have a Constitutional right to travel without driver license internal passort, nor vehicle registration rent tax, nor traffic tickets

Proposed Law Would Put Video Cameras In All Cars To Arrest Drivers

Big Brother facial recognition cameras being rolled out in NCP car parks to arrest pedestrians

Speed cameras have caused 28,000 accidents in a decade

Hundreds of videocams per airliner to arrest each and every airline passenger in case they sweat or go to the toilet

Cops taked naked photos of all airline passengers under penalty of death

Fraternal Order of Police defend arrest of citizens who videotape cops

“Put some faith and trust in our authority figures. You can’t name 10 incidents where a citizen video has shown a police officer to have lied on a police report.”
-Jim Pasco, Fraternal Order of Police national director



Friday, August 6, 2010

Wheelie Hell of Death on the Dragon


Rider died within sight of the Tree Of Shame at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, and nobody noticed. No comment by CROT.

"After a fun week-end tragedy strikes the Dragon. Details are sketchy, but apparently the body of a rider missing since Monday was found down the bank at Wheelie Hell corner on the North Carolina side of the Dragon. The body was discovered when another biker wrecked in the same corner and saw the wreckage. This is the first fatality of the year near the Dragon. Technically it was not on the 11-miles of the Dragon. Please ride safe."
-TailOfTheDragon.com, August 3, 2010

"No major incidents that I'm aware of until Monday, when a rider went off at the top of the hill in front of the resort, and wasn't found until the following day when apparently another rider went off on the same (first) turn and saw the previous wreckage. Please be careful out there and remember to let your tires warm up and get sticky before riding your usual pace, no matter what kind of vehicle you're on/in."
-Killboy.com, Update 4 August 2010

ETR: Body of Missing Rider Found - "I'll quote from unnamed sources. According to what I was told the dude left at around noon on Monday headed up the hill to make a run. He never came back and they started looking for obvious signs of someone crashing, I.E. skid marks, scratches in the roadway etc. They never located him. He was with a group staying at the CROT and they said he mentioned maybe taking a ride somewhere else. They also said he had a video recorder on his bike and may have filmed his accident. It was also stated he had some sort of issues with his brakes recently and maybe he could not stop. They also said he has been on the Dragon several times and one would think he knew that corner turned left. They reportedly called Blount county sheriffs office to report him missing but no one really knew where he could be so no extensive search was implemented at that time. Also as far as I heard there was no other accident at that scene that caused someone to see the wreckage and call police. One of the workers at the CROT just went and looked over there and found him. *This is what I heard* It does not make it fact....."






BCSO has no knowledge of its search for missing rider

Fatality CONFIRMED by The Dragonator

Graham County Sheriff Office confirmed the death via telephone call. Graham and Swain County Sheriffs have a mutual aid agreement. Blount County Sheriff Office and Swain County Sheriff Office Communications depts had no knowledge of the crash. NCHP worked the crash and told the Dragonator the rider was Michael J Cupp of Middlestown, Ohio. NCHP crash report only listed the bike as a 1999 Kawasaki. Whether a cruiser, tourer or sportbike is unknown. Trooper Aaron Ammons knows the answer. VIN JKAZX4G18XA02 matches a ZX600-G.

Troop G, District VI
Swain County
US 19 North
Bryson City,NC 28713
(828) 488 - 2184
(828) 488 - 2185 fax




UPDATE - Missing Rider Information

Hi guys/gals of ETR. My name is Ike. I am the organizer of the annual meetup of "motorcycle videographers" at Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon. This was our fourth annual meetup at this great location. I'll do my best to describe what happened.

We lost Michael J. Cupp around mid day on August 2. There was a rain storm move in at CROT and TOD shortly after Mike started to make his third or fourth run up the mountain from the resort. He was alone and was not trying to catch or keep up with our small band of riders who set out 20 minutes or so before Mike ventured out. He chose to remain with another rider back at the resort, and decided to make another run before the rain came. Our group waited for Mike's return, but knew that he was a safe and excellent rider and had been on the dragon many times. Not only with our group but on his own for many years. We thought in the first couple of hours that he might have chosen to check out Happy Valley Rd in lieu of riding TOD in the pouring down rain. We thought that he might have bike problems and was left stranded, and worse case, run off of the road in an attempt to return to CROT. My last conversation with him was regarding how we were going to measure the sag on both of our bikes and make some tweaks that night if necessary. We had enough hands there to make that a pretty easy task that would give us something to do with one of our evenings hanging out at the resort.

Anyways, we waited for the weather to pass and for the road to dry, but trying to conduct a search during peak time is near to impossible as many of you know. My girlfriend and I made a run out to Happy Valley Road to look around out there for Mike, also with no luck in finding him. We called the Blount county sherriff department, and the dispatch said that they would send an officer out and keep an eye out for Mike. We started our extensive search after night fall with flashlights along the entire road for any sign of someone running off. Looking for turned up gravel or any signs of a motorcycle leaving the road at all of the cliffs and especially close to those where no trees or mountain side would have caught him. We looked until around 3AM on the TOD. No sleep that night for those searching. We were all hoping for the sound of Mike coming down the mountain to the resort with a tale of getting stranded somewhere over in the GSMNP and having to get a tow.

With no luck in our searching, we called Blount county again on Tuesday morning from the DGMCR store, and we also were able to get Brad involved. He was getting everyone organized for an extensive search with the mule along the trails below the common places where riders have "disappeared". Ten minutes after that search was conducted, Mike's lifeless body was found in the corner at the top of "wheelie hell" by one of the DGMCR staff. The bike was upright in a balanced position between two trees. Mike was found lying on a large rock lying face down. One of our guys searched 20 feet from that particular spot in our attempts to find Mike on our own, and could not see him because of the brush. There was not a mark or a skid on the road or in the gravel where the bike left the pavement. However, there appeared to be a fresh tire skid coming down the mountain crossing the double yellow intersecting the line at which Mike was taking to make the corner. It appeared that he may have uprighted the bike to avoid striking someone crossing that line, but of course we are not sure.

His father and brother left Ohio and arrived to get Mike's pickup truck on Thursday morning around 9:30AM at DGMCR. His father asked that we leave a memorial on the tree of shame.

Don't take life for granted, each moment that we are given is a blessing.


Pirate attacks Corvette with lack of countersteering skills, same week as this fatal crash

The link to the obituary

CUPP, Michael J. Age 39, of Hamilton, died August 2, 2010 in Swain County, North Carolina. He was born August 11, 1970 in Hamilton, Ohio the son of Larry and Paula (Combs) Cupp. He attended Fairfield High School. He was employed by Pjax Inc. in West Chester, Ohio. He loved riding motorcycles and working with his hands. He is survived by his mother, Paula Cupp; father, Larry (Sue) Cupp; brother, Wayne (Jenny) Cupp; grandparents, Alpha (Donnie) Hume; cousin, Paula Cupp (Randy) Romer; nieces, Amber Cupp and Emily Cupp; nephew, Christopher Cupp and many other family members. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert and Mildred Cupp, Pearl and Georgia Combs and aunt, Kathy Cupp. Funeral service will be Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at Weigel Funeral Home, 980 NW Washington Blvd., Hamilton with Pastor Dale French officiating. Burial will be in Rose Hill Burial Park. Visitation will be Friday, August 6th from 5-8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers the family request donations to your favorite charity. Online condolences are available at www.weigelfuneralhome.com




Reports on fatal crashes appear to be public records in NC, though some crash reports are still secret if NCHP caused the crash.

Map of fatalities on the Dragon - One previous fatal crash at Wheelie Hell curve, a deceptively spooky left-hand kink up the hill in front of CROT, if a rider doesn't already know how far he can lean without scraping. Note that 99.999% of riders don't wheelie on Wheelie Hell Hill, which is actually the first Beginners End. Perhaps a decreasing radius, or a right/left whip rather than a 45-degree kink, looking at the satellite photo.

USDOT's Hurt Report proves that 90% of riders don't know what Countersteering is, since all state police censor that word from motorcycle rider tests, thanks to greed by MSF's cop-run riding schools. That would explain why this dead rider didn't leave any skidmarks to find him by. Failure to countersteer feels like the handlebars are welded straight. Bikes steer in the opposite direction of a curve, in order to make the bike lean. Bikes steer in the opposite direction to cars and trikes.



Order your Countersteering Warning stickers from the Dragonator today!

Did this this death result from the ban of Blount County Rescue Squad this month?

At least one other TN rider crashed there, riding a wheelie up Wheelie Hell straight. He broke his leg and lay there for several hours, undiscovered. A very skilled sportbike rider, with a little ADD on prescription speed. Just tried to ride the wheelie too long. He lived to tell the tale, and continued to ride long wheelies on 129.

Looks like this corner needs a yellow ribbon tied between the old oak trees, as previously done at Rocket Corner at Calderwood Dam, after that undiscovered fatal crash nightmare.




REALITY CHECK

MOTORCYCLE CRASH FACES OF DEATH - Not even safety gear can help you survive Uncle Scam's defective highway designs, and automobiles built for roadkill.

Crash victims who die as a result of medical malpractice are still listed as dying from a crash. Medical doctors murder over 2-million Americans every year, the leading cause of death in USA, equivalent to six jumbo jets falling out of the sky every day. Ambulance crews are now murdering crash victims to harvest their organs, which can only be harvested from living bodies, at a gross profit of $500,000 per murder victim, whether or not the victim was gullible enough to sign an organ donor contract.

Stick and ball sports kill 200,000 healthy young Americans every year, from sweating.

Only 4,000 to 5,000 bikers die per year in USA. This proves motorcycle riding is one of the safest things you could ever do.

"For decades, speed was the subject of the most widespread slogans drummed into the public. 'Speed kills' and 'slow down and live' are familiar ones peddled by the National Safety Council. The findings showed a more complex picture of the role of speed than had ever been assumed before. Accident involvement rates are at a minimum at speeds between fifty and seventy five miles per hour. Although obviously the severity of accidents is greater at higher speeds, the study revealed that considering accident frequency rates and severity, the number of injuries per vehicle miles traveled is at its minimum [up to six times lower]. The law embodies an invincible rationale: 'He had an accident; therefore he violated the law.' No distinction is made between responsibility for the accident and responsibility for the injury due to unsafe vehicle design or construction. Manslaughter charges are filed routinely against drivers; there is yet to be recorded any similar charges against the manufacturers for vehicle defects. A typical police traffic accident report has a list of 'contributing circumstances' which the officer is to check off: 'Speed too fast; failed to yield right of way; drove left of center; improper overtaking; passed stop sign; ran traffic signal; improper lights; had been drinking; and other improper driving.' Thus the driver is heir to all the dangers created by the automobile designers, not only in terms of bodily injury but also in terms of legal exposure. The result of this drastic imbalance in the law is the very poor quality of accident investigation in this country. Consequently, enforcement of the law brings no pressure on the car makers to increase the safety of their vehicles."
-Ralph Nader, attorney at law and presidential candidate, from "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile", quoting David Soloman in "Accidents on Main Rural Highways Related to Speed, Driver and Vehicle," FHwA (1964). Nader forced GM and VW to start using CV joints, anti-sway bars and proper independent suspensions that don't roll over at 20 mph.

"One hundred forty years ago, the Royal Society in England warned against the railroads, claiming that at speeds over 30 miles per hour, the air supply to the passenger compartment would be cut off and people would die from asphyxiation. And the college of physicians in Munich, for its part, warned that at 30 mph, travelers would suffer headaches, vertigo and possible lose their sight because of a blurring effect. Over 30 mph great catastrophies were predicted, because everyone knew that even a twig would shatter the wheels."
-Jules Burgman, ABC News, NASA Langley Research Center, The Impact of Science on Society, NASA SP-482, NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1985


The illegal speed limit on the Dragon is 30 mph... The reason it's illegal to set low speed limits is they put drivers to sleep, causing a 600% increase in crashes according to USDOT. The only legal speed limit is set by measuring the 85th-Percentile Speed, based on the average speed of traffic, during daylight, without rain or fog, at the end of a straight, not counting trucks or slow vehicles, without a police presence. This is literal democracy in a republic.

However, not setting any speed limits at all is even safer, according to USDOT, since that forces drivers to pay maximum attention. Driving 212 mph on the curvy German Autobahn at night in the rain in 130 mph commuter traffic is safer than 55 mph on a straight interstate in USA. Seems Mother Nature's DNA survival instinct is more powerful than a Police State, and the Constitutionsal right to travel is more powerful than the Communist Manifesto.

"Government control of communications and transportation."
-Communist Manifesto, 6th Plank




THE DRAGONATER WINS IN TRAFFIC COURT AT DEALS GAP, RAISES SPEED LIMIT TO 65 MPH ON THE DRAGON - NOLLE PROSEQUI BY BLOUNT COUNTY ATTORNEY GENERAL. NO TESTIMONY, HEARING NOR TRIAL WHATSOEVER. 60 MPH SPEEDING TICKET DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE, COSTS PAID BY THE STATE, IN BLOUNT COUNTY GENERAL SESSIONS COURT WITH JUDGE BREWER. THP TROOPER RANDALL HUCKEBY ADMITTED ON VIDEOTAPE DURING TRAFFIC STOP THAT ALL SPEEDING TICKETS NORTHBOUND ON US129 AT MILE MARKER 0.5 ARE FEDERAL JURISDICTION, NOT STATE JURISDICTION (VIDEO BY THE DRAGONATER). HUCKEBY WAS ALSO CAUGHT ON VIDEO SPEEDING AT 60 MPH ON THE DRAGON, WITHOUT THE MANDATORY EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND SIREN REQUIRED FOR IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION (VIDEO BY THE DRAGONATER). TDOT ADMITTED IN WRITING THAT THE MANDATORY TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SURVEY SPEED AUDIT WAS NEVER PERFORMED, IN VIOLATION OF TN CODE, THUS THE POSTED 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT ON THE DRAGON REVERTS TO THE DEFAULT 65 MPH IN TN CODE. THE DRAGONATER ALSO MADE VIDEO OF TROOPER HUCKEBY SPEEDING UP TO 60 MPH ON THE DRAGON IN A 30 MPH ZONE, WITHOUT MANDATORY EMERGENCY LIGHTS NOR SIREN, IN VIOLATION OF TN CODE, AND PERJURY IN HIS PERSONNEL FILE, WHICH SHOWED HIS $100,000+ SALARY. 2007 TDOT SAFETY AUDIT REPORT CONFESSED THAT THP'S JOB IS TO BAN ALL COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ON THE DRAGON, SO THP TICKETS INCREASED 11,400% IN BLOUNT COUNTY. THP'S STALKER RADAR OPERATOR MANUAL CONFESSED THAT RADAR CANNOT MEASURE THE SPEED OF VEHICLES WITHIN 18 MPH OF ACTUAL SPEED. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FULL EVIDENCE FILE. UPDATE 7 MARCH 2011

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Copkilling in Blount County


K-9 Officer Hansen on right

WATE TV headline: "Blount County K-9 officer dead following chase of burglary suspects"

A second K-9 team was then called to the scene, Deputy Chris Morgan and K-9 Hansen.

They searched for the second suspect for 30 minutes. Then, the unthinkable happened.

"Once in the back of the car the K-9 collapsed and was taken to Village Vet with the other K-9 that was taken there for dehydration," said Sheriff Berrong.

K-9 Hansen received treatment for heat exhaustion, but was not responsive. He later died.

"Mainly, his body temperature got above 110 and once an animal gets above 107 it doesn't look good for the outcome of the animal," Berrong said.

The search for the remaining suspect was suspended due to the excessive heat around 3:30 p.m.

Deputy Nathan Payne was taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to Blount Memorial Hospital.

He has since been released from the emergency room.

Bruno was treated for dehydration and released from the veterinary clinic.

"This circumstance with the heat, the heat index, is very unusual. We haven't had anything like this before," said Berrong.

KNS Comments:

MsPittsburgh writes:
This breaks my heart....charge this $$$-hole with manslaughter of a police officer and maybe all of the K-9 units need to give these dogs a break until this awful heat dies down a bit.

be_logical writes:
Surely this wasn't due to negligence on the part of the trained officer in charge of the animal?

jakethevolguy writes:
If the dog was owned by a private citizen he/she would be under investigation for animal cruelty. This was the fault of the handler not the criminals. I do admit if there hadn't been a crime this probably would not have happened.

slugdiamond writes:
Horrible. Tragic. Inexcusable. As a dog owner for many years, I fail to see how anyone can push an animal to the point they die from heat exhaustion. At no point in time would I continue pursuit of a simple burglary suspect when it puts the life of a partner in danger. I have a problem to start with putting an animal in a situation an armed human would not enter. If you push yourself to the point you can not function you not only endanger yourself, but those who depend on you as well.

pudgy102097#218220 writes:
I love dogs very much. Probably more than the vast majority of people in this world, but charge these people for the death of this dog? Seriously people. I love dogs and K-9 dogs but they are not people. Some perspective needs to be observed when thinking about dogs.

Engloid2 writes:
in response to southerngal: "Poor little guy died doing his job. I totally agree with Brian, charge these two thugs with manslaughter..." yeah, all except that it wasn't a MAN, much less even a human. Are they going to have a full military funeral for this "officer" now? Can we spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on a funeral service, receiving of friends, burial plot, headstone, and more? Maybe even a BBQ dinner for all the cops? I hate that this dog died, but saying the "thugs" should be charged with manslaughter is like charging somebody with murder for running over a squirrel in their car. It is a dog, no more and no less. I love animals, but an animal life is not as valuable as a human. If you want to argue this point, just go ahead and tell me that you'd rather have seen the human officer die than the dog....and yes, I would like to hear why the HUMAN officer is not being charge with animal abuse for driving his dog to the point of death. Even if he is not charged, he needs to relinquish his responsibilities of being a K9 officer. He should no longer be allowed to have a dog with him on the job. Other officers should be trained on how to recognize heat stroke and other problems in dogs...or not be allowed to have them on the job.

dragonator writes:
Corrected headline: "Blount County K9 Cop Kills Cop, Arrested for Animal Cruelty and Neglect." Who steals more from the taxslaves, teenage burglers or BCSO?

“I’ll burn your house down, set your dog on fire and there won’t be a member of your family left, do you understand me? I won’t hire it done, I will do it myself! Do you understand me?”
-Blount County sheriff James Berrong, United Stated Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, Nuchols v. Berrong, No. 04-5645, July 11, 2005

Tennessee Auditors Arrive - 48 Blount Sheriff cars missing - "The state auditor arrived in the County a few weeks ago. The auditor was able to find only 239 vehicles. What happened to the other 48 vehicles? But the Sheriff wants the taxpayers to support a tax increase, so that he can have even more money to spend next year. Does this make sense to you?"

Blount County cops buy college degrees at massaage parlor - In August, after discovering another tuition reimbursement payment for an unaccredited college for Maryville Police Department Capt. Sharon Moore, The Daily Times requested tuition reimbursement reports from the past five years from the city of Alcoa, city of Maryville and Blount County. The only payments identified were for Moore and Blount County Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher?s tuition that was discovered in 2006. On Nov. 20, The Daily Times requested that Berrong research reimbursements that were directly paid to individuals for out-of-pocket tuition payments to unaccredited schools. Berrong confirmed that Detective Lt. Danny Wilburn, Lt. Patrick England, K-9 Deputy Gary Perkins and Sgt. Rick Baker had all submitted invoices for tuition reimbursement from Columbus University and received reimbursement from the county. Neither the U.S. Department of Education nor the Council on Higher Education Accreditation recognizes Columbus University as an accredited school. It is commonly referred to as a ?diploma mill? by both organizations. In hopes to better himself for his family, the sheriff?s office and the community, Wilburn said he signed up for the program in 2003. He said the university had a professional Web site and he began a program to get a bachelor?s and master?s degree for approximately $3,500. Baker said Wilburn told him about the university and he also signed up for the program in hopes of obtaining a master?s degree. Baker got his bachelor?s degree from Lee College in 1988. The master?s program he signed up for with Columbus University cost between $2,500 and $3,000. Mayor Cunningham would not comment on the additional Columbus University tuition reimbursements, telling The Daily Times it was ?old news.? In 2004 following a CBS News expos鬠the state of Louisiana shut down Columbus University. A few months later it relocated in Picayune, Miss., where it operates today. Diploma mills are commonly defined as colleges or universities that require little or no course work from students. Many claim to offer credits for life and work experiences, and most operate exclusively on the Internet and by mail and have no campus. While online diploma mills typically provide bachelor?s and master?s degrees for less than $5,000 over a period of months, the College Board, a nonprofit association founded in 1900 to work with students and educational institutions, estimates that the average cost of a bachelor?s degree from a public university is now ?$87,000 to $200,000 and takes the average student 6.2 years to complete. A prospective student who drives to Columbus University would find an empty storefront at its address in Picayune, Miss., with a small ?Columbus University? sign taped in the window. Jeremy Pittari, a reporter for the Picayune Item newspaper, told The Daily Times he has investigated Columbus University in the past. ?Columbus University has a building here in Picayune,? Pittari said. ?But I?ve never seen anyone working there. ?There was a paper sign that said ?Columbus University? taped up in the front window for a while and a small sign on the front door instructing people to deliver any mail or packages to a business across the street.? The business across the street from Columbus University?s address is a massage parlor and ?body sculpting? studio. So far, the Mayor has done nothing to publicly chastise Hatcher. Hatcher said Tuesday he has not completed the master's program yet, but the $3,910 check issued by Blount County covered both a bachelor's degree and master's degree. "The county has no control over how the elected officials spend the money appropriated to their budgets," Cunningham said. Apparently, if you misuse funds in Blount County and get caught, all you have to do is repay the money, and all is well with the Mayor. Tom Hatcvher's son, Dustin Hatcher, was a county judicial commissioner, depsite only passing a test for car stereo installation. Judge Dustin Hatcher pled guilty to raping a teenage girl in the Justice Center, then posting photos of his crime on the wall in the Court Clerk's office. Dustin Hatcher was faced a five year prison sentence, but was sentenced to probation, after county taxpayers paid $40,000 to his rape victim. Clerk Tom Hatcher was formerly a deputy for the Blount County sheriff.

COP.
2. to steal; filch.
3. to buy (narcotics).
4. cop out, a. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out.
5. cop a plea,
a. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
b. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.
-Dictionary.com, Random House Unabridged Dictionary 2006

See also:

Loudon County cops kill dog during traffic stop

Cop Shoots Dog For Playing In Park, Police Are OK With It

Tennessee Cop Kills Dog As Cuffed Family Watches

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Motorcycle Proximity Alert System



Das motorrad ist absturz zu bringen! Rufen sie meinen agenten!

TCAS Proximity Alert System by TFKL Engineering

Slow mo:



So that's what happened to Ghost Rider...























Full-length Ghost Rider movies

"Sorry for the questions, I just find him interesting. When I'm on the freeway in LA (which is very rare) and I'm riding in a straight line between all of the stopped cars in traffic I think to myself, "Yeah, I'm Ghostrider right now". Then I look down at the speedometer and it's showing, "25 mph". Sigh..."
Ghost rider dead or alive ?

"You haven't lived until you've heard a live police chase, on a car radio in a car you're driving."
-Danny Bonnaduce, a/k/a Danny Patridge, VH1 100 Top Child Stars

"The MAINTAIN TOP SAFE SPEED sign may be used on highways where conditions are such that it is prudent to evacuate or traverse an area as quickly as possible."
-USDOT, FHA, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Chapter 2I. Emergency Management Signing, 2003 Ed



Sunday, July 18, 2010

Rider loses arm, leg, life on Cherohala Dragon, politician/cop murdered by cops, er, mob


Starting line of the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains TN

UPDATE FEB 2013: Suspect in Miller slaying Brandon Steele pleads guilty to federal meth charges - But his murder of deputy Jim Miller is OK

UPDATE: DA says there will be more killers charged in the Jim Miller murder case... - "There will be other indictments as soon as we have enough information to proceed with prosecution," said Assistant District Attorney James Stutts. At one point, before Jessica Kennedy Powers faced Judge Kurtz, she turned around to Jim Miller's widow, Vickie, and said, "I didn't do it. I swear."

UPDATE: Petit drug addict hooker patsy arrested for assassination "robbery" of cop/politician/mobster(?) Jim Miller...

UPDATE: TBI press release re arrest in the Jim Miller case

UPDATE: Indictment of Jessica Kennedy Powers in the Jim Miller case

UPDATE: TBI "forgot" to request copy of autopsy report on assassinated cop/politician/mobster(?) Jim Miller...

UPDATE 2: Monroe DA to block "part" of assassination autopsy report, but gave copy to suspected assassins in Monroe County Sheriff Office




Motorcycle accident kills one, injures three on Cherohala Skyway

One person is dead and three others injured following a motorcycle accident in Monroe County.

It happened Saturday afternoon, just before 4:00 p.m. According to the TennesseeHighway Patrol, Robert N. Tittenhofer of Middleburg, Florida was heading west on State Highway 165, also known as the Cherohala Skyway.

The THP report says Tittenhofer's Honda CBR1000 motorcycle veered into the eastbound lane while traveling into a right-hand curve. It nicked a 2004 Harley-Davidson operated by Lawrence E. Kinard Jr. of Montross, Virginia.

Tittenhofer then sideswiped a 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan ridden by King David Stewart of Marshall, Virginia before crashing head-on into a 2006 Harley-Davidson. That rider, Charles E. Poles Jr., was injured along with Stewart and Kinard. Tittenhofer was killed.

All four riders were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

See also:

Ride Reports: Cherohala Skyway closed this afternoon

Video: Cherohala Skyway offers fun, danger for motorcyclists

"We had another great weekend at the gap as the skyway continues to mount fatalities. The skyway has had 3 in the past 7 days. Two on the NC side and One on the TN side, all speed related. I know the gap gets a bad rap from time to time but we are going on the 5th straight year the the skyway is much deadlier than the gap. So when up there please be carful and watch your speed the curves can sneak up on you and next thing you know you will be in on coming traffic."
-DealsGap.com, 19 July 2010


Decreasing radius downhill turns are most likely to spook riders on the Charahala, especially enroute to Tellico. Forgetting how to COUNTERSTEER feels like the steering is welded solid. Target fixation send riders where they look, which is the oncoming lane on the outside of a curve...




REALITY CHECK


Order your Countersteering stickers now


What we probably have here is a classic example of Failure To Countersteer, combined with defective roads, and a lack of competent or timely medical care.

The extreme incompetence and criminal negligence of Tennessee Highway Patrol is probably a major factor in this crash. THP censors the word "countersteering" from its Motorcycle Operator Manual and Motorcycle "License" Test, and actually shows images of motorcycles steering like cars and trikes. Nowhere does THP warn riders that bikes must be steered in the opposite direction of a turn, the opposite of cars and trikes.


Deadly advice from THP "license" test

USDOT's Hurt Report found that 95% of motorcycle crashes involved riders who never heard of countersteering.

THP crash reports never ask a victim if they know what countersteering is, nor determine if the rider wore competition-grade leathers with hard body armor and hard spine protector, nor whether the helmet is open-face or a mere bicycle skidlid. Crash reports never blame a govt highway department nor contractor for defective road construction, nor blame vehicle manufacturers for defective products. This makes it impossible to investigate crashes for improvement of highway safety, as done routinely in aircraft crashes. "Guard rails" routinely impale car drivers, and are called "cheesegraters" by bikers.

Both news corps and school corps censor the word countersttering. News corps (extortion rackets) don't allow journalists to criticise any products made by their advertisors (marks), such as defective motorcycle helmets, or the journos are instantly fired. Nor are they allowed to criticize insurance rackets where only 5% of revenue is paid in claims as execs are paid $200,000 per week per person -- or $35-billion per year TAX-FREE per person if your name is Warren Buffett, owner of GEICO, Government Employees Insurance Corp (CIA terrorist bombers and mass murderers on 9/11). Nor can journos critique government agencies in these days of bailouts, where even a local newspaper can win $20-million corporate welfare. Failure of corporate "news" to give a damn about dead bikers, and its inability to investigate crash causes, guarantees perpetual loss of life, and expansion of the deadly Police State that arrests 100-million Americans every year for frivolous traffic lawsuits.

The extreme delay in First Responder and ambulance response is also a probable factor. If Rural Metro takes 4.5 hours to rescue riders in Blount County, imagine how long it takes in the remote mountains of Monroe County? Volunteer First Responders are required to pay for their college certification and equipment costing $2,000, while private foreign ambulance corporations rake in trillions of dollars in no-bid contract monopolies.

Police are not trained nor equipped as First Responders, and never perform first aid on crash victims. Often 10 cops stand around at crash scenes waiting for an ambulance, as Good Samaritans stand in the road covered in fuel giving comfort to dying victims. Police are excellent at censoring names of eyewitnesses from crash reports, unless a witness will testify the victim was drunk, making it hard for victims to defend or prosecute insurance claims in civil court. Nine out of ten cops should be replaced with government-owned ambulance crews, and all cops should be trained and equipped as First Responders.

Lifestar helicopter flights cost $18,000 in Monroe County, and are not covered by motorcycle insurance.

Crash victims who die as a result of medical malpractice are still listed as dying from a crash. Medical doctors murder over 2-million Americans every year, the leading cause of death in USA, equivalent to six jumbo jets falling out of the sky every day. Ambulance crews are now murdering crash victims to harvest their organs, which can only be harvested from living bodies, at a gross profit of $500,000 per murder victim, whether or not the victim was gullible enough to sign an organ donor contract.

Stick and ball sports kill 200,000 healthy young Americans every year, from sweating.

Only 4,000 to 5,000 bikers die per year in USA. This proves motorcycle riding is one of the safest things you could ever do.

"For decades, speed was the subject of the most widespread slogans drummed into the public. 'Speed kills' and 'slow down and live' are familiar ones peddled by the National Safety Council. The findings showed a more complex picture of the role of speed than had ever been assumed before. Accident involvement rates are at a minimum at speeds between fifty and seventy five miles per hour. Although obviously the severity of accidents is greater at higher speeds, the study revealed that considering accident frequency rates and severity, the number of injuries per vehicle miles traveled is at its minimum [up to six times lower]. The law embodies an invincible rationale: 'He had an accident; therefore he violated the law.' No distinction is made between responsibility for the accident and responsibility for the injury due to unsafe vehicle design or construction. Manslaughter charges are filed routinely against drivers; there is yet to be recorded any similar charges against the manufacturers for vehicle defects. A typical police traffic accident report has a list of 'contributing circumstances' which the officer is to check off: 'Speed too fast; failed to yield right of way; drove left of center; improper overtaking; passed stop sign; ran traffic signal; improper lights; had been drinking; and other improper driving.' Thus the driver is heir to all the dangers created by the automobile designers, not only in terms of bodily injury but also in terms of legal exposure. The result of this drastic imbalance in the law is the very poor quality of accident investigation in this country. Consequently, enforcement of the law brings no pressure on the car makers to increase the safety of their vehicles."
-Ralph Nader, attorney at law and presidential candidate, from "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile", quoting David Soloman in "Accidents on Main Rural Highways Related to Speed, Driver and Vehicle," FHwA (1964). Nader forced GM and VW to start using CV joints, anti-sway bars and proper independent suspensions that don't roll over at 20 mph.

"One hundred forty years ago, the Royal Society in England warned against the railroads, claiming that at speeds over 30 miles per hour, the air supply to the passenger compartment would be cut off and people would die from asphyxiation. And the college of physicians in Munich, for its part, warned that at 30 mph, travelers would suffer headaches, vertigo and possible lose their sight because of a blurring effect. Over 30 mph great catastrophies were predicted, because everyone knew that even a twig would shatter the wheels."
-Jules Burgman, ABC News, NASA Langley Research Center, The Impact of Science on Society, NASA SP-482, NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1985


THE DRAGONATER WINS IN TRAFFIC COURT AT DEALS GAP, RAISES SPEED LIMIT TO 65 MPH ON THE DRAGON - NOLLE PROSEQUI BY BLOUNT COUNTY ATTORNEY GENERAL. NO TESTIMONY, HEARING NOR TRIAL WHATSOEVER. 60 MPH SPEEDING TICKET DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE, COSTS PAID BY THE STATE, IN BLOUNT COUNTY GENERAL SESSIONS COURT WITH JUDGE BREWER. THP TROOPER RANDALL HUCKEBY ADMITTED ON VIDEOTAPE DURING TRAFFIC STOP THAT ALL SPEEDING TICKETS NORTHBOUND ON US129 AT MILE MARKER 0.5 ARE FEDERAL JURISDICTION, NOT STATE JURISDICTION (VIDEO BY THE DRAGONATER). HUCKEBY WAS ALSO CAUGHT ON VIDEO SPEEDING AT 60 MPH ON THE DRAGON, WITHOUT THE MANDATORY EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND SIREN REQUIRED FOR IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION (VIDEO BY THE DRAGONATER). TDOT ADMITTED IN WRITING THAT THE MANDATORY TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SURVEY SPEED AUDIT WAS NEVER PERFORMED, IN VIOLATION OF TN CODE, THUS THE POSTED 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT ON THE DRAGON REVERTS TO THE DEFAULT 65 MPH IN TN CODE. THE DRAGONATER ALSO MADE VIDEO OF TROOPER HUCKEBY SPEEDING UP TO 60 MPH ON THE DRAGON IN A 30 MPH ZONE, WITHOUT MANDATORY EMERGENCY LIGHTS NOR SIREN, IN VIOLATION OF TN CODE, AND PERJURY IN HIS PERSONNEL FILE, WHICH SHOWED HIS $100,000+ SALARY. 2007 TDOT SAFETY AUDIT REPORT CONFESSED THAT THP'S JOB IS TO BAN ALL COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ON THE DRAGON, SO THP TICKETS INCREASED 11,400% IN BLOUNT COUNTY. THP'S STALKER RADAR OPERATOR MANUAL CONFESSED THAT RADAR CANNOT MEASURE THE SPEED OF VEHICLES WITHIN 18 MPH OF ACTUAL SPEED. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FULL EVIDENCE FILE. UPDATE 7 MARCH 2011

The speed limit on the Dragon is 30 mph...

However, being an politician in Monroe County is quite deadly. On the same day as this Cherohala crash, the chairman of the Monroe County Republican Party and Monroe County Election Commission Chairman, Jim Miller, was found by a deputy sheriff in the trunk of a burning car. All that was left of him were charred "remains". Whose election did he fix to result in this mob hit? Miller is the name of the mafia-connected owner of the worldwide towtruck/garbage/cartheft cartel, Miller Industries, headquartered in East Tennessee, that kills cops and burns cars of politicians in Knoxville, and stole two of my cars with their police partners in the cartheft rackets, in retaliation for my newspaper article about the police-approved murder of a motorcycle cop.

This is the county where my aunt is a county commissioner, and where my cousin was appointed to a judgeship on the Tennessee Supreme Court.





Jessica Kennedy Powers

"I didn't do it. I swear."
-Jessica Kennedy Powers, to the widow of Jim Miller

"I didn't shoot nobody, no Sir! I'm just a patsy!"
-Lee Harvey Oswald, in the same Dallas Police Dept where President JFK had just been shot in front of, and the same police station where Oswald was shot and killed by jewish mobster strip club owner Jacob Rubenstein, aka Jack Ruby



WBIR TV named this photo: "JIM MILLER GOOD HEADSHOT"

Monroe County politico Jim Miller, murder suspect knew each other

By Jim Balloch
Knoxville News Sentinel
January 5, 2011

Monroe County Election Commission chairman Jim Miller knew the woman who is charged with killing him during a robbery, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Jessica Kennedy Powers, 27, of Sweetwater, Tenn., is charged with felony murder, aggravated robbery, arson and abuse of a corpse, according a statement issued Wednesday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

"They did know of each other, but the extent of their relationship is not known," TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said.

Miller, 60,was a lifelong Sweetwater resident who knew many people throughout Monroe County.

A grand jury indicted Powers on Wednesday after a nearly six-month probe.

Asked if there were any other suspects or if any other arrests were expected, Helm's careful answer was: "At this time, no other case has been presented to the grand jury."

Officers served Powers with the indictment in jail in neighboring Meigs County, where she was serving time there for violating her probation from a charge of simple possession of narcotics.

According to the indictment, which identifies the defendant as simply Jessica Kennedy, Miller was murdered "during the perpetration of robbery."

Wording of the indictment also indicates that she used a handgun to rob Miller of his money before killing him, rather than killing him and robbing the corpse. It was widely known that Miller commonly carried large sums of cash.

Helm declined to say if a weapon has been recovered.

The suspect has been moved from Meigs County Jail to Monroe County jail, where she is being held under $500,000. Court officials said an arraignment is scheduled for January 18.

Miller was last seen alive leaving the election commission office shortly after noon on July 17. His body was found later that afternoon on Sands Road in the trunk of his flame-engulfed car. He had been shot in the head three times, and his body was burned beyond visual recognition.



Comments

I believe there is more yet to come. She may have been involved in it, may have even pulled the trigger. However, she is a small girl and I find it difficult to believe, though not impossible, that she put this man in his trunk after she shot him. Dead weight is hard to move. But this was a very mean man with plenty of enemies.

She definitely had help in at least putting the body in trunk. Logic would conclude she then had help in the burning and cover up. I am sure she will have a good story to tell.

But what perplexes me is how did she overcome this guy? Especially if she is all drugged up? He's pretty big. And how did she get him in the trunk unless she shot him while in there. But he was shot in the front and back of the head. I'm thinking she had help. Maybe it was that H...oh, never mind.

It's certainly an interesting case, but I have doubts that she could have done this alone. Someone helped her get the body into the trunk. I seriously doubt he would have voluntarily climbed into the trunk while looking at a gun barrel - he appears to be smart enough to understand that voluntarily climbing into the trunk would have been a likely step to his death.

She was helped by her boyfriend Brandon Steele.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Has someone already said "caught with his pants down" and it was removed?

Pure speculation: Maybe our vic had a proclivity for tawdry women? Maybe she was used as bait?

I like your bait theory. For someone like this man who carries a gun with him, he would have to be caught off guard.

Maybe I'm getting all CSI on this, but would 3 shots to the head be considered a crime of passion?

I don't think I would ever want to be 'widely known as someone who carries a large amount of cash'...






Human remains found in burned vehicle off Sands Road

Monroe County Advocate and Democrat
July 18, 2010

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and state officials are conducting an investigation into the discovery of a burned vehicle just off Sands Road near Sweetwater with human remains found inside Saturday night.

Family members of Monroe County Election Commission Chairman Jim Miller have said the longtime Republican leader is missing and investigators consider him the likely victim in this case.

Early Sunday, the Sheriff's Office released this initial statement:

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and state officials are conducting an investigation into the discovery of a burned vehicle just off Sands Road near Sweetwater with human remains found inside Saturday night.

Family members of Monroe County Election Commission Chairman Jim Miller have said the longtime Republican leader is missing and investigators consider him the likely victim in this case.

Early Sunday, the Sheriff's Office released this initial statement:

On July 17, 2010, at approximately 8 p.m., a Monroe County Sheriff's deputy while on patrol located a vehicle fire. The vehicle was fully engulfed upon arrival of the deputy. The deputy requested fire department assistance and Christianburg Fire Department responded to the scene on Sands Road and extinguished the fire. During the operations of the Fire Department, human remains were found in the trunk of the vehicle. The District Attorney's Office, The TBI, and Tennessee State Bomb and Arson were contacted for assistance and all three agencies responded to the scene. Positive identification of the victim has not been made at this time. The Sheriff's Office is working in conjunction with these agencies to quickly identify the victim and solve this crime. Anyone having information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 423-442-3911 or Monroe County Dispatch at 423-442-4357.

See also:

How to rig a black box election in Tennessee

Memphis has 3,221 more phantom votes than voters in 2010

Ten Memphis candidates sue for vote rigging

Somebody let Low Tax Looper out of jail?

To the even more bizarre:

When contacted Sunday afternoon, TBI spokeswoman Kristen Helm said: “We provided assistance at the scene originally, but we are not investigating. The DA did not request TBI to open a case.”

Miller also owned Miller Excavating and resided on Hawkins Road in Sweetwater.

Miller was appointed chairman of the Monroe County Election Commission during the April 22, 2009, meeting of the Election Commission.


I’m sure the DA’s stance of not wanting the TBI’s help is providing great comfort to the rest of the Monroe County Election Commission.

Video: Rumors swirl in Monroe County following election commissioner's death

MADISONVILLE (WATE) - Two days after a body was found in the trunk of Jim Miller's burning car, Monroe County Sheriff Bill Bevins says he still can not confirm that the body is Miller's.

Family members and friends, however, say they have no doubt Miller was murdered and his body put in the car before it was set on fire. A source in law enforcement has also told 6 News the body belongs to Miller.

Monroe County is in the midst of early voting, prompting rumors about Miller's mysterious death.

Fellow Republican Tim Yates, who happens to be running for county mayor, called Miller a leader in the Republican party and someone who was never afraid to speak his mind.

Yates says he hopes politics had nothing to do with his friend's death.

"It's shocking," said Yates. "Because of it happening during this time there are a lot of rumors, suspicious rumors."

"He may have had enemies, but everyone makes enemies," said James Brown, Monroe County's administrator of elections. "I don't think it was political.

Brown says he was most likely the last person to see Miller alive when they saw each other at the election office Saturday.

Brown says he overheard Miller call his wife on the phone and say he was on his way home.

Miller never made it home. His burning car was found instead about seven hours later.



Various national mafias have a long history in Sweetwater according to Monroe Co deputy sheriffs. TN leads the nation in sheriffs convicted of dope dealing.

"The murder took place outside the City Limits,,,under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff Department...of which one of the deputies is being investigated for making death threats to Miller and his family. TBI was brought in because of the conflict. Art Vandelay is right,..the story has just begun. I think TBI was brought in to keep there from being the appearance of impropriety. Even if the guy had a 100% locked down alibi (filmed in another state at the time of the incident or whatever) this keeps the conspiracy theorists away. That said, there may have actually been a conspiracy in this case. What the heck was a deputy doing making threats against an official?!? Any more insight?"
KNS: Victim found in trunk thought to be Monroe Election official

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has set up a tip hotline in regards to the burned vehicle and the body found this past Saturday, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office has announced. The phone number is (423) 519-8477. Anyone with any information regarding this case is requested to contact the tip line. The hotline will be staffed twenty four hours a day by Task Force Personnel.

Miller v Miller v Miller v Miller - $700,000 family farm carved up by TN Court of Appeals. Background on Jim Miller's political ties.

Body found in car trunk tentatively identified as Monroe official - The body found in the trunk of a burning car Saturday has been tentatively identified as belonging to Monroe County election official Jim Miller, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday. The manner of Miller's death has been ruled a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound.

Monroe deputy suspended; murder probe continues - Monroe County Sheriff Bill Bivens confirmed this afternoon that the deputy, Kenny Hope, has been placed on administrative leave with pay but would not discuss the specific reason for the suspension or details of the case. “I wouldn’t say he is any kind of a No. 1 suspect or anything like that,” Bivens said. “A person of interest, maybe.”
Asked if Hope has been questioned in the case, the sheriff would only say, “He has been spoken to,” and added that he has not been given a polygraph.

Sheriff's deputy says he is suspect in Monroe County official's death - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now in charge of the investigation. So far, Sheriff Bill Bivens has been tight lipped about the county election commissioner's death. Perhaps the reason for the sheriff's silence is because the case is too close to home. During a phone interview with 6 News Monday night, one of Bivens' deputies revealed he is a suspect. Kenny Hope said he was questioned by TBI agents over the weekend and says he was told he is a suspect in Miller's death. He told 6 News that he has been put on administrative leave pending the investigation. Hope said he had "no motive" to kill Miller. His only connection with Miller, Hope said, was during an April 2010 traffic stop. Records show during that traffic stop, Miller was charged with reckless driving and having no insurance. A Monroe County judge recused himself from the case, sending it to McMinn County in May. District Attorney Steven Bebb confirmed to 6 News that Sheriff Bivens was the one who asked for TBI to take the lead in the case. Bebb said the sheriff's office was not being investigated for Miller's death. Source: Daily News Express

Miller's friends say some of the rumors 'can't be true' - Miller had an auxiliary deputy sheriff's commission from Loudon County. His personal car was equipped with a spotlight, blue lights in the grill, tinted windows and a radio antenna on the back, according to several people familiar with it. Anderson, Heuer and several others who knew Miller agree on two things: They feel it is highly likely that he was killed by someone he knew, and it probably took more than one person to commit the crime. Miller was more than six feet tall, stout and strong, and would likely defend himself in a robbery or confrontation, they said. "He was just too big and tough" for one man to handle, Anderson said. Miller often carried large amounts of cash - a practice that friends say was as widely noticed as his generosity and kindness to other people. "He was hard-core Republican," Anderson said. Miller's main source of livelihood was his excavating business that specialized in removing old fuel tanks from service stations and other businesses. "The excavating business is where he made his money, and I suspect it paid for the farm," Anderson said. "It was a very successful business." Comments: "Business" deal gone bad!!!! Word is former Sheriff Watson has been told that he is next.This story is alot deeper than you might think. No one every said Republicans don't play for keeps. And no one ever said that democrats aren't suspects.

UPDATE 5 AUGUST 2010 - Jim Miller, a well-known political official, was killed on July 17, 2010. He was found shot in the head three times, and burned in the trunk of his own car on the first Saturday of early voting. TBI is investigating the circumstances around Jim Miller's death. Mechelle Miller said the family is waiting for answers.

Dragonater Note:

Loudon County TN, where Jim Miller was a cop, is world HQ for the Mafia-connected worldwide garbage and cartheft cartel, where William Miller, owner of Miller Industries, lives in "The House That Garbage Built". William Miller and KPD police were sued in a class action by The Dragonater, for running massive cartheft rackets in Knox County. William Miller owned BFI and Waste Management, which had dozens of contractors convicted under the RICO Act for membership in the Gambino and Genovese Mafia crime families in New York City, as seen on A&E TV's Investigative Reports with Bill Curtis: "Modern Mobs", where the World Trade Center and NY City were extorted by a "Mob tax on garbage" of 900%, thanks to monopoly contracts from corrupt government.

Home Destroyed by Fire - Daily News Express, 20 July 2010

Man tries to coerce witness in TBI investigation - A Lenoir City man allegedly threatened to burn the home of prospective witnesses in an ongoing TBI investigation, although the warrant did not specify which investigation. Daily News Express, 24 July 2010

"I’ll burn your house down, set your dog on fire and there won’t be a member of your family left, do you understand me? I won’t hire it done, I will do it myself! Do you understand me?”
-Blount County TN sheriff James Berrong, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, Nuchols v. Berrong, No. 04-5645, July 11, 2005


Coincidence...?

Still no sign of worker at Sevier County Waste Compost Facility - Bobby G. Reagan has been missing since Thursday morning, shortly after he arrived work at the Sevier County Waste Compost Facility on Ridge Road. 24 July 2010




Dragonater Note: KNS lawyers, City of Knoxville law director and Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz quashed a subpoena by The Dragonater, and sought sanctions and arrest of The Dragonater, for seeking open public records of govt propaganda contracts with KNS and WBIR TV... The Dragonater is banned from posting comments on the KNS website.


Autopsy queries in killing of Monroe County Election Commission Chairman Jim Miller hit wall

Monroe examiner snubs requests in politico's slaying; counsel critical

Knoxville News Sentinel
10 Nov 2010

It has been nearly four months since Monroe County Election Commission Chairman Jim Miller was shot to death and left in the trunk of his burning car. The case remains a mystery.

Miller's preliminary autopsy report has long been completed. It's also a public record. Yet for reasons that no official has been able - or willing - to explain, the document remains unavailable.

Dr. Christopher Shamblin, the new medical examiner for Monroe County, has failed to respond to two public records requests to either provide the report or authorize its release. The News Sentinel's requests were made Oct. 15 and Nov. 1.

Shamblin has also not responded to repeated follow-up telephone calls, and according to the State Office of Open Records Counsel he is in apparent violation of the state Open Records Act.

"At a minimum, he is required to respond to your request, and if it is being denied (he is then required) to state the reasons why," said Open Records Counsel Elisha Hodge.

"And there is a deadline of seven days to respond," said Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. "That deadline was put in there to stop such shenanigans as (simply ignoring a request)."

The newspaper initially requested a copy of the report from the Regional Forensic Center in Knoxville, where Miller's autopsy was performed. A reporter was referred to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's office.

Shamblin was named medical examiner by Monroe County Commission nine days before Miller's July 17 homicide. Shamblin said he did not have the report and referred a reporter to his immediate predecessor, Dr. Kenya Kozawa.

Kozawa had earlier resigned as medical examiner. On July 8, the same day Shamblin was appointed, Kozawa was named his assistant, according to Monroe County Commission records.

When Kozawa's office was contacted about the report, a woman who answered the phone said the News Sentinel would probably have to ask the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for it.

Instead, the News Sentinel filed the first of its two written requests to Shamblin.

"The risk that any public official runs in withholding material, which is public record, without giving a reason as required by the statute is that actions could be declared by a court to be willful, and that could mean the county would have to pay all court costs and legal fees incurred in getting the document," said Knoxville lawyer Rick Hollow, general counsel for the Tennessee Press Association and attorney for the News Sentinel.

In some cases, law enforcement agencies have claimed they can make an autopsy report unavailable by simply declaring it part of an ongoing investigation. But Hodge said she is unaware of any case law that allows that.

The two top law enforcement agencies in the Miller case say they have made no such claims.

Tenth Judicial District Attorney General Steve Bebb, who will prosecute anyone arrested in the killing, said he has not asked anyone to withhold the document. Asked if anyone had made such a request on his behalf, he said: "Not to my knowledge. I believe they would know better."

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the lead investigative agency on the Miller case, has made no such request either, according to TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm.

Monroe County Sheriff Bill Bivens did not return several calls last week. On Monday, he called and left a message for a reporter who was out of the office. Since then, Bivens has not responded to subsequent calls.

Miller, 60, was a prominent and popular Sweetwater businessman, farmer and Republican political figure. He left the election commission office in Madisonville shortly after noon July 17, apparently to head home. Early that evening, a deputy in a rural section of the county sighted Miller's car, engulfed in flames. Miller had been shot in the head three times and his body was burned beyond recognition.

Miller was known to carry large sums of cash. His car closely resembled a police car. The slaying has sparked numerous theories and rumors around Monroe County, but no arrests have been made.

Jim Balloch may be reached at 865-342-6357.


Jessica Kennedy Powers