In a release to our station- Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson says expert criminals recently targeted him and his deputies. The sheriff's personal
In a release to our station- Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson says expert criminals recently targeted him and his deputies. The sheriff’s personal Facebook page was hacked, and a sheriff’s office credit card was accessed by unauthorized persons, he said Monday in a news release. Watson also said his name and personal information was used in an emergency room in another nearby town for medical treatment. “These were highly experienced hackers,” he said in the release. “None of these accounts were easily accessed.” The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office receives one or more reports of hacked websites and criminal activity that can lead to identity theft on any given day, he said. Furthermore, the names of actual Bradley County deputies have been used in a telephone scam that demanded payment to avoid receiving an arrest warrant, the release stated. The sheriff’s office does not serve warrants by telephone. Times Free Press- CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County commissioners have expressed strong support for the county school board’s efforts to secure more student funding from the state. Last week, the Bradley County Board of Education passed a resolution that fueled the Tennessee School Boards Association’s leadership conference to call for the state to fund all recommendations made by the BEP Review Committee in past years. The measure was taken in the wake of BEP funding reductions announced on Nov. 1. On Monday, the Bradley County Commission voted 14-0 in support of the county school board’s stand. Commissioner Dan Rawls said he considers recent reductions in BEP funding to be retribution for a lawsuit filed in March by school boards in Hamilton County and six nearby counties, including Bradley, which claims the state is not fulfilling school funding requirements. Gov. Bill Haslam and Dr. Sara Heyburn, executive director of the Tennessee Board of Education whose staff administers the BEP Review Committee, have denied a connection between the lawsuit and funding recommendations. The reductions in school funding do not square with projected state surpluses recently discussed by the Tennessee State Funding Board, said Commissioner Milan Blake. In other business, the Bradley County Commission voted 14-0 to join the Bradley County Board of Education in an appeal of a Chancery Court ruling concerning the county school system’s claim on a portion of liquor tax revenues Cleveland has only distributed to the city school system over the last 30 years. Bradley County was a partner in the original lawsuit. A partial ruling by Chancellor Jeri S. Bryant said Bradley County Schools has no claim on liquor consumption revenues generated after a 2002 Cleveland liquor-by-the-drink referendum. Bryant is currently considering whether any liquor consumption revenues generated prior to the referendum should be allocated to the county school system. About $1 million is at stake in the lawsuit, according to a study performed by consultants associated with the County Technical Assistance Service. The Chattanoogan- Dr. Steve Perlaky testified Monday that he fired his brother, Bob Perlaky, the longtime manager at the Raccoon Mountain Caverns and Campground, because “we’re not making money, and there is something wrong with this picture.” Bob Perlaky said things are finally turning around at the Lookout Valley attraction, saying it grossed $1,335,000 last year and is already ahead of that total this year. Bob and Jeff Perlaky, another brother, are seeking a permanent injunction against Dr. Perlaky from turning the attraction over to the management of a national firm – RVC Outdoor. The case is being heard by Chancellor Jeff Atherton. Dr. Perlaky said he has signed a contract with RVC – Outdoor, and the firm is training a manager and assistant manager. Dr. Perlaky said most of the 41 current employees at the attraction will be retained until they can be evaluated by the new team.
