Complete transcript of Putnam Pit v. Cookeville civil rights trial online -- Click here

THE PUTNAM PIT
[No bull]

Hey Mary Jo, do you know how to spell CONFLICT?

Establishment Darling Mary Jo Denton quotes the lawyer who defends government civil rights abusers in story about Putnam School Chief Michael Martin breezing through an evaluation based on staff, business and construction matters. But the evaluation makes no reference to the quality of education or whether the children are becoming intelligent. Nor does she acknowledge she has an ethical conflict in writing about Martin because her husband is a teacher -- Story in praise of her husband's boss  

Join the debate on Internet-free Cookeville

Have you voted in the Abston poll yet?

Race for Putnam County Sheriff heats up on Pit's bulletin board

Here is the report on the police shooting 
that was published in the Herald Citizen

But few people believe it, our poll shows

Add your vote here

Police Chief Bob Terry cannot deliver legitimacy no matter how much public money he throws at it

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (March 10, 2002) --  Police hired a retired FBI agent to investigate the shooting of Officer Brad Sperry, allegedly by former Officer Zac Birdwell. But the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation already is investigating. 

A retired FBI agent IS NOT the FBI. A retired FBI agent is a hired investigator who works for a client trying to gather the evidence the client wants. In this case, the client is the Cookeville Police Department. What does Chief Bob Terry want that he thinks the TBI won't get? Legitimacy. 

Read our questions about the legitimacy of the investigation and the Herald-Citizen's account of the investigation's findings then vote in our poll.

The Pit asks

H-C says: 

 
Was the investigation credible?
Did the City of Cookeville's private investigation of itself seem credible?
Yes, very credible
Credible
Somewhat credible
Not credible
A cover up
I don't know what credible means

Guilty of federal civil rights abuse, Cookeville evades damages to victim

By GEOFF DAVIDIAN
Putnam Pit editor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2002) – Cookeville’s policy of hanging an orange tag on the doors of utility customers the city claims owe it money does not inform them they can object,” the court said, and fails to meet the standard required by the case.  See Guilty  

 

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