Thursday, September 21st

From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, here is your news for Thursday, September 21st, on Mix 104-1 and Talk 101-3 The Buzz.

Topping our news today, from the Chattanooga Times Free Press…

The attorney for Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson says the 12 felony counts leveled against his client Wednesday are merely a reformulation of prior charges against the sheriff.

James F. Logan Jr. said the superseding charges were aimed at clarifying what he called “duplicity” that potentially lead to non-unanimous guilty verdicts against his clients.

In July, the Bradley County grand jury charged Watson with six felony counts after a Times Free Press investigation into his side business as a used car salesman. The newspaper described how Watson bought used cars in Florida and Washington, D.C., and brought them to Bradley County for private sale even though he didn’t have a dealer’s license. The story questioned whether Watson registered the cars in Bradley County and paid local sales tax on them before reselling them.

After an investigation by the state Department of Revenue, the grand jury charged Watson with six counts of knowingly holding or using forged or falsified car titles.

Logan challenged the wording of the charges, saying that giving potential jurors a choice — of “holding” or “using” titles that had been “forged” or “falsified” — might mean differing jurors could vote to convict on any combination of those words. That could lead to a conviction that was not unanimous, Logan said.

“This is merely a correction in the method by which the charges were placed,” Logan said Wednesday afternoon. “The government had to correct a mistake that the government made.”

He said the conditions of Watson’s bond on the first counts remain in effect and he expects soon to file a motion to dismiss the new charges.

From News Channel 9…

Local veterans got a chance to avoid wait times, get questions answered and learn about new resources and services at an event in Bradley County Wednesday.

Veterans and organizations gathered for the Joint Operation event at the Museum Center in Cleveland, hosted by Sen. Bob Corker, Bradley Co. Mayor Gary Davis and Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland.

Vietnam veteran Richard White came to speak with VA representatives about his health concerns. He says doctors told him several years ago that some of his health problems are a result of being exposed to the chemicals in Agent Orange. He now works to educate fellow Vietnam veterans.

There were 50 different organizations represented in all, including Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Vietnam veteran Ross Schweinforth runs the program in Chattanooga.

From the Chattanoogan…

The Cleveland City Council is set to vote next Monday on the purchase of the former Cherokee Hotel at 44 Inman St.

Cleveland officials have long eyed the high-rise hotel for downtown redevelopment.

It now serves as the Summit senior living facility with 78 units.

The proposal would have the city paying $1,080,000 to the Cleveland Senior Housing Corporation, which is located in Fort Worth, Tex.

The city also commits to provide $420,000 toward relocation of the Summit residents, including a possible PILOT tax abatement, infrastructure or some other type of help. An area on South Lee Highway was earlier being considered as the new site.

Officials want to see the former hotel redeveloped as residential at market rates.

This has been your local and state news. You can get news anytime by visiting our website, mymix1041.com, powered by Pioneer Credit. From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, this is Jeremy Gault reporting.