Chattanooga Update - April 8, 2015

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• published: 08 Apr 2015
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A man was shot to death last night in Chattanooga. Police arrived at Windsor Terrace Apartments to find the victim, a black man, unresponsive. He later died at a hospital. Anyone with information is asked to call the police. _____ The owner of one of Chattanooga’s largest gay bars is pleading guilty to tax evasion. 70-year-old John Lewis Blewett owns Images dance and show bar on Lee Highway. He’s been sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to pay more than $14,000 dollars. _____ A 19-year-old Chattanooga man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder. Police say Darrius Harris targeted Dartangan Rollins in a drive-by shooting. It allegedly happened on West 38th Street in December. Harris is also charged with aggravated assault. ____ House and Senate committees have overwhelmingly passed a bill to make the Bible the official book of Tennessee. But Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey says he opposes the bill. He says it belittles the most holy book ever written to put it in the same category as salamanders and Rocky Top. After all, Rocky Top is a bluegrass murder ballad about moonshining. The bill’s sponsors say their focus is not on religion, but on the historic role the Bible has played in Tennessee history. _____ A Chattanooga police badge and stolen guns have been found at a gang hideout in Chattanooga. Officers raided a home on Curtis Street and arrested 21-year-old Antonio Watkins. Watkins is a high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples. He’s their fourth member to face felony charges in the last two weeks. The badge belonged to Officer Ryan Lynn, who reported it lost March 21st. Police have not received any reports that it was misused. Watkins has been released on a $50,000 dollar bond. ____ A new Tennessee bill would ban selfies while voting. It would also prohibit any photos or videos inside polling places, as well as telephone calls. That means you can’t take a picture of the long line, call your spouse, or even record election officials challenging your right to vote. The bill has been approved by both the Senate and the House. It’s expected to become law January 1st. ____ Bradley Central High School’s football coach is being penalized for violating state rules. The TSSAA is handing down severe punishments to the program and coach Damon Floyd. Authorities say Floyd texted a middle schooler encouraging him to convince another student to attend Bradley Central next year. Floyd has been suspended from the team for two weeks and for the first two games of the upcoming season. The program has also been fined and placed on probation for two years. ____ Chattanooga’s fastest-growing bank has been sold. CapitalMark is being purchased by Nashville’s Pinnacle Bank for $187 million dollars. The combined bank will have assets of $7 billion dollars. It’s the third sale of a Chattanooga-based bank in the past four months. In March, Atlantic Capital announced plans to acquire FSG. And in December, SmartBank said it would merge with Cornerstone. ____ Finally, The number of gun deaths has topped the number of traffic deaths in Tennessee. In 2013, the state had 1,026 motor vehicle fatalities and 1,030 gun deaths.