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WEAKLEY COUNTY INFORMATION

By David Fisher david@dresdenenterprise.com

    

     Sharon Police Chief Brad Hardin resigned last Monday night after the Sharon Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to make changes in the city’s police department policies. The board also gave final approval for a change in the city’s charter concerning election procedures, discussed the possibility of a new business moving to Sharon, voted to change the city’s insurance carrier, and considered what to do with a donated building.

 

Police Chief Resigns

 

     The board approved changes in the Sharon Police Department after which Chief Hardin stood before an audience of about 40 and basically stated that these changes would tie his hands and the board would need to find another police chief. However, some of the board members couldn’t hear everything Hardin said, so they later called to confirm his resignation. The city received a letter from Chief Hardin last Wednesday indicating his resignation was effective Monday, December 18.

     The recommendations made by the board leading to Chief Hardin’s resignation included restricting the city’s police department from patrolling outside of the city limits of Sharon. The only exception to this would be to provide mutual aid to other agencies in accordance with existing mutual aid agreements, during any kind of emergency. It was noted during the meeting that although the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) has stated that municipalities may patrol up to one mile outside of their city limits, they are not required to do so. With this in mind, the board agreed that all patrolling outside of the city limits should cease.

    The motion to make the change in police policy to restrict patrolling to within the city limits came from Vice Mayor Tommy Jones, who was appointed to fill the newly created position of police advisor and commissioner during the November board meeting. Other changes was that new police uniforms should be purchased, for officers to maintain a professional appearance at all times, and requiring the chief of police work the day shift only, and to not engage in pursuits for any reason (using radios instead to provide information about those failing to yield to blue lights and attempting to evade arrest).

 

(Read the rest of the story in the December 27th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!)

By David Fisher david@dresdenenterprise.com

      

     During last Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Finance, Ways and Means Committee of the Weakley County Commission, members voted to proceed with auditing Charter Communications, which has a local cable television franchise in Weakley County.

     Weakley County Commissioner James Westbrook, Jr. stated that even if the audit doesn’t produce large sums of money for the county, “It’s just the principle of the thing,” referring to the possibility that some of the cable subscriber fees are not being paid.

     After much discussion, the board members agreed to pursue entering into a contract with Telecommunications Consulting Associates with headquarters in Waynesboro, North Carolina, for the purpose of conducting a television audit of Charter Communications and any other cable companies that may be operating in Weakley County.

     A letter presented during the meeting from the auditing firm was signed by John C. Howell, who states, “While I can never promise that I will find underpayments during an audit, I am confident that we will discover some level of discrepancies in Weakley County based on my past experience with the various companies.”

 

(Read the rest of the story in the December 27th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!)

By David Fisher david@dresdenenterprise.com

 

     Vandalism was discovered at the Ned R. McWherter National Guard Armory Friday, December 22, which was evidently caused by some type of small bomb.

     Due to the fact that the explosion took place at a federal military installation, investigators from Fort Campbell will lead the investigation.

     In the meantime, members of the Dresden Police Department are under orders not to give out details of the incident until the investigation has been completed.

     The explosion shattered the right-front glass panel at the armory’s front entrance and caused damage to the glass in the double front doors.

     Although there is no official word yet as to the extent of the damage, the interior of the foyer behind the glass doors does not seem to have suffered any substantial damage.