August Grand Jury Report
| Three times a year, a Loudon County Grand Jury is
impaneled to hear evidence from local law enforcement or other sources
to determine if there is enough evidence to indict an individual on
particular charges. The Grand Jury is made up of Loudon County
residents. "No Bills" mean the charges were dismissed by the jury. "True
Bills" mean that the jury found enough evidence for an indictment.
"Continued On Bound Over" means that that particular charges will be
brought to the next Grand jury. The Grand Jury is also charged with
inspecting county facilities and to make recommendations for
improvements.
One of the more surprising events with this grand jury was their request to inspect the plagued renovations at Loudon High School. Loudon activist, Joe Webb, addressed the panel about what he considered life safety issues with the school. Apparently, Mr. Webb's presentation to the jury which included witnesses was enough to convince the grand jury to take a look at the issue. District Attorney, Russ Johnson, has made it clear that no criminal activity is suspected, however the jury has recommended an investigation and to report the findings to the December grand jury. Click here for knoxnews.com article. Mr. Joe Webb is no stranger to the grand jury process. In 2005, he presented evidence to the grand jury accusing four members of an opposing little league football organization of extortion. His testimony resulted in indictments against those four individuals. The indictments were later dismissed for lack of evidence. The grand jury also heard evidence pertaining to recently dismissed Loudon County Deputy, Dewayne Drinnon, a report on the LCUB/Dixie Lee Utility merger and the former Convenience Center Manager. |