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Who Had Tickets Dismissed or Retired by Special Judges?

Updated:

NewsChannel 5 Investigates uncovered hundreds of speeding tickets that were dismissed or retired by defense attorneys while they were serving as special judges -- substituting for elected judges -- in Davidson County General Sessions Court.

The information was derived from a database obtained from Metro police and verified by obtaining copies of the citations.

For a complete list, click here.

Among those who benefited from having these attorneys dismiss their tickets are the following:

Raymond K. Bogle, Metro Water Services
Ticketed 4/7/08 for speeding
Special judge David Hopkins retired ticket on 6/10/08. Hopkins was substituting for Judge Leon Ruben on a criminal docket, while an elected judge was in traffic court.
How did it happen? "I'd like to not comment on that," Bogle said.

Kristie L. Bratcher, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 6/16/08 for speeding
A special judge retired ticket on 8/11/08.
How did it happen? A person, whom she would not identify, offered to help. "From here, I'm not sure what it went. Someone said it was taken care of. That was something I probably shouldn't have done."

Patricia Breeding, General Sessions Court
Ticketed 7/10/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman dismissed ticket on 7/30/07.  There was no special judge in traffic court on that date.
How did it happen? When called, Breeding hung up on Phil Williams. She did not return a subsequent phone call.

Tandra Caldwell, Titans cheerleader

Ticketed 8/12/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 9/8/08. There is no evidence that Freeman was authorized to act as a special judge on this day, although he did substitute in traffic court on 9/5/08. Actions taken by Freeman on the 9/5/08 docket are listed by that date in the database. Freeman says there may have been a delay in processing the non-docketed tickets.
How did it happen? Caldwell says she doesn't remember the ticket.

Michelle Casteel, Davidson County Community Corrections
Ticketed 6/5/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman dismissed ticket on 7/30/08. Freeman was substituting that day for Judge Dianne Turner on a criminal docket.
How did it happen?  Casteel could not be reached for comment. 

Margie Crow, Deputy county clerk
Ticketed 11/15/07 for speeding
Special judge Jack Byrd dismissed ticket on 12/27/07.
How did it happen?  "I wouldn't know," Crow said.

Brian Dorfman, owner of Zanies comedy club
Ticketed 4/3/08 for speeding
Special judge David Hopkins retired ticket on 6/10/08. Hopkins was substituting for Judge Leon Ruben on a criminal docket, while an elected judge was in traffic court.
How did it happen? Dorfman did not return phone calls or an email requesting comment.

Matthew J. Drury, Deputy juvenile court clerk
Ticketed 8/4/08, 12/1/08 and 12/4/08 for speeding
Special judge Gary Wood dismissed first ticket on 9/12/08. Special judge Charles Walker dismissed the other two on 1/20/09. Walker was substituting for Judge Gloria Dumas on a civil docket that day.
How did it happen? Drury claims he went to court on "at least one" of the tickets. He promised to provide proof, but never did. His name does not appear on any court docket on those dates, and there were no special judges in traffic court on those dates.

Lee Dryer, Franklin attorney

Ticketed 8/8/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 9/30/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Aaron Holt on the one-stop citations docket.
How did it happen? "I didn't think I was speeding," Dryer said. "I hired an attorney to protest my innocence." Who was the attorney? "I really don't want to get into it."

  

Barbara Eden, assistant to Circuit Court Judge Hamilton Gayden
Ticketed 9/24/07 for speeding
Special judge Charles Walker dismissed ticket on 10/29/07.
How did it happen?  Eden says she talked to someone, whom she would not identify, about the ticket. "I wasn't aware that it went before a judge. I thought it had been withdrawn."

Kelly A. Farmer, Deputy county clerk
Ticketed 1/14/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 3/4/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Gale Robinson in a criminal court.
How did it happen? "It's been a little while," Farmer said. "I don't remember what the specifics of that situation were."

Amber Hall, Criminal Court Clerk's Office
Ticketed 12/14/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman dismissed ticket on 1/25/08. Freeman was on the traffic docket that day, but Hall's case was not scheduled to be heard.
How did it happen?  Hall did not return a phone call requesting comment.

Virgil J. Herring, Golf pro
Ticketed 11/30/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 1/17/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Aaron Holt in traffic court, but Herring's name does not appear on the docket.
How did it happen? "I don't really have a comment," Herring said. He refused to identify the person who helped him with his ticket.

John Hiatt, Singer/songwriter
Ticket 9/3/07 for speeding
The clerk's office says a person -- believed to be a special judge, but whose identity could not be determined -- retired the ticket on 10/22/07.
How did it happen? Hiatt's manager -- the husband of General Sessions Judge Gloria Dumas -- did not respond to a request for comment.

David S. Hodgin, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 4/21/08 for speeding
Special judge David Hopkins retired ticket on 6/10/08.  Hopkins was substituting for Judge Leon Ruben on a criminal docket, while an elected judge was in traffic court.
How did it happen? "I don't even remember getting a ticket, to tell you the truth," Hodgin said.


Stephanie D. Levitan, daughter of General Sessions Judge Gloria Dumas
Ticketed 11/28/07 for speeding
Special judge Jon Peeler retired ticket on 1/24/08. The clerk's office could find no evidence that Peeler was authorized to act as a special judge on that date, and Peeler said he had no record.
How did it happen? Peeler says he doesn't remember it. Judge Dumas says she knows nothing about it. Her daughter could not be reached for comment.

Otis L. Lewis, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 8/7/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 9/30/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Aaron Holt on the one-stop citations docket.
How did it happen? "I did take it to a friend of mine," Lewis said. "I can't give you a name. I don't want to get anyone in trouble."

Teri Newland, state probation/parole officer
Ticketed 7/26/07 for speeding
Special judge Jack Byrd dismissed ticket on 8/2/07.  An elected judge was in traffic court that day.
How did it happen?  Newland did not return a phone call requesting comment.

Lisa Pettibone, former paralegal for Metro Department of Law
Ticketed 8/28/07 for speeding
Special judge Charles Walker dismissed ticket on 10/15/07.
How did it happen?   "I don't remember it -- that's been so long ago. Thanks," Pettibone said as she hung up on Phil Williams.

Reggie Pleasant, Titans chaplain

Ticket 12/4/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 1/17/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Aaron Holt in traffic court, but Pleasant's name does not appear on the docket.
How did it happen? Pleasant did not return phone calls requesting comment.

Ken Robold, Universal Music executive 

Ticketed 7/20/08 for speeding
Special judge Jack Byrd retired ticket on 9/8/08.
How did it happen? Robold did not return phone calls requesting comment.

 

Donald A. Smith, Freeman client 

Ticketed 8/28/08 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired ticket on 9/8/08. There is no evidence that Freeman was authorized to act as a special judge on this day, although he did substitute in traffic court on 9/5/08. Actions taken by Freeman on the 9/5/08 docket are listed by that date in the database. Freeman says there may have been a delay in processing the non-docketed tickets.
How did it happen? Asked if Freeman helped with his ticket, Smith replied "no comment." Freeman denied knowingly helping his client and suggested it may have been "in a stack of tickets" that someone gave him to dismiss.

Braxton D. Taylor, husband of traffic violation bureau clerk Samantha Taylor
Ticketed 11/17/07 and 11/19/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman retired both tickets on 1/17/08. Freeman was substituting for Judge Aaron Holt in traffic court, but Taylor's name does not appear on the docket.
How did it happen? "I have no idea," said clerk Samantha Taylor, who denied any role in the dismissals.

Daniel R. Weikal, administrator, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 4/24/08 for speeding
Special judge David Hopkins retired ticket on 6/10/08. Hopkins was substituting for Judge Leon Ruben on a criminal docket, while an elected judge was in traffic court.
Another speeding ticket was retired by a special judge on 9/13/07.
How did it happen? Weikal says he mentioned the tickets to a friend in Metro government. "He said he could take care of it. I gave it to him, and that was the last I heard of it." He refused to identify the person who helped him with his tickets.

Teresa Weston, TBI forensics supervisor
Ticketed 8/16/07 for speeding
Special judge Blake Freeman dismissed ticket on 9/13/07.
How did it happen?  Weston did not return phone calls requesting comment.

Tony M. Wilkes, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 8/25/07 for speeding
A special judge retired ticket on 10/23/07.
How did it happen? "I did pass it off to someone," Wilkes said. "Who I passed it off to, I'm not certain. All I heard was, 'We'll take care of it.'"

 
Lauren D. Williams, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 8/13/07 for speeding
A special judge retired ticket on 10/17/07.
How did it happen? Williams did not return phone calls seeking comment.

 

 

Linda F. Winters, Davidson County Sheriff's Office

Ticketed 7/15/08 for speeding
A special judge retired ticket on 9/2/08.
How did it happen? "I did get a ticket last summer and have no comment on how it was treated," Winters said in an email.

 

 

Speeding Tickets Dismissed/Retired by Special Judges (A-F)
Speeding Tickets Dismissed/Retired by Special Judges (G-L)
Speeding Tickets Dismissed/Retired by Special Judges (M-R)
Speeding Tickets Dismissed/Retired by Special Judges (S-Z)