Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland: From the Cleveland Daily Banner…
Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland:
From the Cleveland Daily Banner…
Tim Siniard reports: A Cleveland man who was arrested by the Cleveland Police Department and charged with failure to register as a sex offender, told police he had avoided them, because he was “afraid of going to jail,” due to an outstanding theft of property warrant.
The man, Lester C. Fields Jr., 53, faces two counts of failure to register as a sex offender, according to a CPD incident report.
According to police, Fields was required to report to them “between seven days before and seven days after” his birthday in January. However, Fields “did not report to the police department during that timeframe, as required by law.”
In addition, the CPD noted Fields had not paid the 2021 sex offender registration fee. Police said they “suspected Mr. Fields did not report for his annual registration because of the warrant.”
In February, police said received two voicemails from Fields stating “he had been sick” and was awaiting a doctor’s clearance “to get out of the house.”
However, Fields did not answer phone calls from the CPD, according to their report.
When police visited Fields’ Ellis Drive residence in June, an officer stated Fields walked into his residence “like he was trying to avoid me.”
Although an acquaintance of Fields told police he was not home, he later walked outside to speak with them and stated “he had not reported [his status as a sex offender], because he was afraid of going to jail” due to the warrant.
Fields was arrested and transported to the Bradley County Jail, where he remains on a $5,000 appearance bond.
Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday that he does not support restricting firearms or strengthening gun control laws in response to recent mass shootings in Tennessee and around the country, including the gunning down of 19 elementary school students and two teachers in Texas.
Instead, Lee joined the growing list of Republican governors who are stressing the need for more security at schools with the governor signing an executive order calling for enhancing safety measures that does not mention the word gun once.
The directive largely encourages schools to continue to implement current school safety laws, directs state agencies to issue guidance on to improve school building security, and calls for law enforcement agencies to promote more people to join law enforcement careers.
Lee’s remarks come nearly two weeks after the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Within that time frame, at least two mass shootings have occurred in Tennessee, with the latest leaving three dead and 14 injured from gunshot wounds in Chattanooga.
District Attorney Neal Pinkston is seeking to have a 15-year-old who is charged in a downtown shooting charged as an adult.
He filed paperwork seeking to have the youth’s charges in the shooting on Cherry Street transferred to Criminal Court.
Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw will be holding a transfer hearing in the case to determine if he should be tried as an adult. He would face much more serious punishment in adult court.
Six youth were injured in the shooting last Saturday night, including two who are in critical condition.
The 15-year-old is charged with six counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a dangerous felony, unlawful possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
A second youth is also being sought in the case.
In news today…
The Bradley County Commission met on Monday covering several items of business. Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis discussed the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Budget Proposal. It is expected that there will be a 3% increase in property taxes, 5% sales tax increase for revenue in the general fund, as well as expected salary increases of 6.5% for first responders and 4% for all other county employees. Work on the Veterans’ Home project is nearing completion, with the building itself expected to be completed by the end of June or early July, with work then beginning on internal build outs. Chairman Mull noted a vacancy that must be filled due to the passing of Constable Dickey Alford. A notice of vacancy will be posted, and it will be filled at the June 20th meeting.
