TENNESSEE NEWS

Courthouse tower going to the birds The Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville is going to the birds. Hundreds of pigeons have made their home in the clock tower posing a health threat, staining the building and posing a potential threat to electrical wiring. The problem is not new to the county, it had a similar problem in 2001, which was solved when U.S. Department of Agriculture to trapped the birds. Storms cause significant damage in three counties Dickson, Cheatham and Williamson counties all sustained damage from Monday’s storm, fortunately, no one was hurt. Authorities say the damage caused to the Dickson County High School is at least one million dollars. They were thankful that the storm occurred while the kids were on holiday for President’s Day. School Director Charlie Daniel said that he was grateful that the kids were gone as he surveyed the damage because if school would have been in session, there would most likely have been multiple deaths. Wind toppled trees in historic Franklin in Williamson County, causing power failure and downed lines. Several areas in Cheatham were also pelted with hail during the storm. Memphis couple found dead in car A black Memphis couple were found dead in a SUV parked in a Haywood County field according to the Jackson authorities. The two people were reported missing on Friday and Saturday. The vehicle has license plates from Shelby County. TBI agent, John Mehr says that the victims were in their early 30’s and that the case is under investigation as a double homicide. The vehicle was noticed by an area resident on Saturday morning, but it wasn’t reported to the police until Monday. The bodies were sent to Memphis for an autopsy. Oak Ridge man charged with felony child abuse An Oak Ridge man has been charged with one count of felony child abuse. 34-year-old Robert Purnell is accused of beating his daughter on the back of her legs with a belt. The teacher of his six-year-old daughter, who has been trained to spot abuse, reported the problem on September 10, 2004, to authorities, four days after it allegedly occurred. Oak Ridge school authorities were not available for comment. Purnell made his first appearance in court Tuesday morning after being arrested last Sunday. He honored an ordered by detectives not to be alone with his daughter for 60 days until they had investigated the situation. Authorities found enough evidence to arrest him. Purnell posted a $25,000 bond Monday evening. A judge will determine March 15 if his case will go to a grand jury. Campbell County Deputy tried for excessive force of alleged drug dealer David Webber will appear in federal court Tuesday to plead guilty for using excessive force with a drug dealer. On July 8, 2004, Webber and four other deputies were serving an arrest warrant on Lester Eugene Siler. Siler ran from the officers, but they caught him. After that legal documents say that Siler was beaten, pushed into an overflowing toilet, hit with a gun and hooked to a battery charger by the officers in an effort to get him to sign a consent form to search his home. Webber was the main drug investigator for the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department from 1997 until the department fired him in 2004. Wednesday, Samuel Franklin will appear in court; and Thursday Joshua Monday and Shayne Greene will appear in court.