Tennessee is not a traditional open carry state. However, Tennessee is a shall-issue state that issues a carry permit that allows both open and concealed carry. Articel I section 26 of the state constitution states that the citizens of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime.
Pepper Spray is completely legal in Tennessee and has no restrictions what so ever.
The laws in Tennessee are mostly silent on Tasers and stun guns. This means that the weapons are largely unregulated and legal to possess.
Batons are perfectly legal to own in TN, and they are also legal to carry, but in that case you are required to have training under state law and proof of that training
Tennessee's criminal code provides the following exception to the crime of carrying a concealed weapon: "(9) By any person possessing a club or baton who holds a certificate that the person has had training in the use of a club or baton for self-defense that is valid and issued by a certified person authorized to give training in the use of clubs or batons,"
May 17, 2013: Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed SB1015 today making Tennessee the Seventh state to enact Knife Rights most important legislative initiative, Knife Law Preemption.
SB1051, sponsored by Senator Mike Bell and with its companion bill, HB0581, sponsored by Representative Vance Dennis, repeals all existing local knife laws on the books in Tennessee and prevents cities and towns from enacting any new knife laws more restrictive than state law. The original bills also addressed those state laws by including a repeal on the ban on switchblades, dirks, daggers, stilettos and knives over four inches in length, but because of petty political reasons that section was stripped from the bill. The preemption section that remained and has now been signed into law is arguably more important and a huge step in the right direction. However, Knife Rights is committed to passing commonsense repeal of the ban on these knives next year.
Important/Relevant Gun Laws
RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS
HANDGUNS
Permit to Purchase
No
No
Registration of Firearms
No
No
Licensing of Owners
No
No
Permit to Carry
No
Yes
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND.
These states recognize Tennessee permits:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana , Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Tennessee recognizes permits from:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana , Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
How To Obtain a Handgun Carry Permit?
To obtain a handgun carry permit in Tennessee, you must first successfully complete a handgun safety course offered by a handgun safety school that is certified by the Department of Safety.
You should then make application at any full service Driver Service Center. You will need to bring with you the original copy of your safety course completion certificate, proof of US Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency, photo identification such as your Driver License, and $115 NON-REFUNDABLE permit fee. This fee may be paid in cash, credit card, money order or with a certified check. If there are no problems with the application and you meet all eligibility requirements, you should receive your permit within 90 days of the date we receive your application.
When your application is processed at the Driver Service Center, you will be given instructions on being fingerprinted. Even though a person has a permit and is authorized to possess or carry a firearm pursuant to TCA 39-17-1315 or 39-17-1351, there are restrictions as to where firearms may be carried. Additional information pertaining to possession of and carrying a firearm are listed by Tennessee Code Annotated and subject matter. More information can be obtained online from the Tennessee Code Annotated lookup (this link is to LexisNexis site external to Tennessee Department of Safety website).
It is legal to own a dirk, dagger, or other stabbing knife
It is legal to own a disguised knife such as in a belt buckle or lipstick
It is legal to own a stiletto
It may be legal to own a butterfly knife, however, one should check with an attorney first, as Tennessee’s definition of a switchblade could include a butterfly knife. Courts in most states would call a butterfly knife one that opens by “gravity or inertia”, which is how Tennessee defines a switchblade knife. However, other Courts have viewed butterfly knives, not as automatic or gravity knives, but as a type of pocketknife. As of June 2013, Tennessee’s Courts have yet to weigh in.
What is Illegal to Own
Tennessee Code § 39-17-1302 makes it illegal to own a switchblade knife or any other implement for the infliction of serious bodily injury or death, which has no common lawful purpose.
Restrictions on Carry
It is illegal to open or conceal carry a switchblade
It is illegal to open or conceal carry any knife with a blade exceeding four inches in length, with the intent to go armed.
Dark Ghost Journal Monday August 12th, 2013 Just got back from patrol. It was it a rainy night in the city of Chattanooga Tennessee. The threat of a storm was present as thunder and lightning filled the air. I may found a drug dealer and his prime location for selling his poison saw he was at this truck stop/gas station for some time holding his back pack stayed on his cell phone telling some one his location man showed up talked to him look like the exchanged something got a good look at the guy with the back pack. White, very short brown hair with receding hair line, goatee, average height and build ride a blue sports motorcycle. Talk to a few people in the store the say he is there almost ever night buys gas and hangs around out side a lot. I must investigate further next time I am down there I will take my camera so that I can take some photos for evidence and try telling him to his source. Also found a back road that connects two of my patrol areas. I will use the back road to save time on patrols. Also found a man having to ride his bicycle from work to his home across to the other side of town it was about to storm so I gave him a ride home put his bicycle in the back seat of the car was worried it was not going to go in at first but I manage to get it in.
Jameika Porch was abducted from her grandmother’s home in Chattanooga, Tennessee at 1708 Tunnel Boulevard. in the middle of the night on August 14, 1994. She had been sleeping in the same bed as her eight-year-old cousin when someone came in and carried her out through the window, without waking her cousin. Tim Carroll of the Chattanooga Police Department says they initially looked at it as a missing person case, and a possible abduction. "The grandmother woke up, and the child was missing, she thought, she just assumed that her daughter had come to pick the child up."
Chattanooga police immediately launched an all out search for the girl, using dogs, and search and rescue teams. Investigators later learned that Jameika had actually disappeared from her bedroom sometime in the early morning hours of August 14th. The girl's aunt, who also lived there, heard noises in the house around 5 or 6 in the morning. Whoever took Jameika may have come in through the back door, where a window payne could be removed near the door knob. Police say it was a well known way to get into the house if you didn't have a key. In the days and months that followed, national exposure of the case brought in tips from across the country. Despite the information, the searching, and help from others like the F.B.I., none of the leads panned out.
Then on October 21st, 1999 A worker from a tree trimming service had found it at 1548 Riverside Drive, at the Riverside Industrial Park. Police brought in Cadaver dogs to start searching the area. The next day, a class from the Chattanooga Police Academy helped find the rest of the remains. Authorities have recovered about 60 percent of the skeleton with the help of cadaver dogs, he said. "Given that the bones may have been there for five years, that's about what you'd expect," he said. "Bones can be displaced over time by dogs and other animals or flooding," he added D-N-A proves it was the body of Jameika Porch, according to Police Lt. Tim Carroll. "It was ruled a homicide. It was a ligature strangulation, and you know, that's terrible a 4 year old, a 4 year old child being murdered that way." All these years, the big question remains: who killed Jameika Porch. Police have potential suspects, but not enough to make an arrest. That's why Lt. Carroll says investigators need your help. Genetic experts are testing a skeleton discovered two miles from where a pajama-clad girl disappeared from her grandmother's house five years ago to determine if it is the missing child, police said. A Hamilton County forensic anthropologist has determined that the bones belonged to a 4- or 5-year-old child of African descent, and the bones have been sent to a private lab for verification, said Chattanooga police spokesman Ed Buice.
UPDATE:
I finally got a tip on this case via email on this case. The tipster told me that they was at someone's home and was told that young Jameika Porch was sold to settle a drug debt. Now I would like to find and talk to the girls mother Joyce Porch as word has it the is was she herself that sold the child for it was she that had the debt. I was told by this same tipster that the cousin was not asleep but saw someone pick Jameika Porch but due to not have her glasses on could not see clearly.
Also thanks to an Anonymous post to this post I know that Joyce Porch was a know user of Crack Cocaine.
Ok lets just say that there is a drug deal that you want to get off the street.
First thing that should be done is to inform the police but should they prove to be of know help or informing the police is not an option for some reason then please keep reading.
To take out a drug dealer you are going to need a few things.
1. Video or photo camera
2. Audio recorder
3. Note book and pencil
4. 2 or 3 USB drives
5. binoculars
Now the best way to take out a drug dealer is to get proof and then make sure that proof gets to the right people and here is how.
1. Know your target: Watch your target follow them around for afew day if you can but you must great take care not to be seen. By your target. This so so that you can get to know more about your target. You should make note of the car/truck/SUV that they drive color, make, model, and plate number. You should also note where they go the type of place the address thing like that how long they stay at each location. This will help you find out when and where they sale their drugs maybe even where they get the drugs wich they sale. It will also make sure that your target is not a undercover cop. Keep track of all this on an audio recorder for later to write down in a notebook
2. Observation: now that have a basic idea of your targets movements time to make some other notes. Now you should use some binoculars to keep a safe distance as to not be found out by your target. While observing your target note such thing as the number of guys if any they have watching out for them, what drugs they are dealing, what kind of weapons they keep on them if you can. While observing your target try to get some video of picture evidence. Make sure to get a good shot of your targets face, car, plate, and transactions. Again keep track of all this on an audio recorder to so that you can later write your observations in a notebook.
3. Keep all your data: Save and make 2 or 3 copies of ever thing you vidoe, photos, and audio recrodings even make a copy of your notebook on you computer and save all this to some USB drives. Now I say to use USB drive cause they are easy to hide for save keep but you should not hind then all in the same place.
4. get your evidance tio the right people: now make some copies of your all your data on to some DVDs and them to the city and county police.
Now that you have done all this I shouold say to only confront the deal as a last resort but if it does to come to that then you must be ready any and evey thing that could happen know that there is more then a good chance that they could and will most likey pull a gun or a knife. There is also a very good chace that the dealer will not be the only one you will be face he may have backup. Make sure to be smart about it and try to do it when there are a few by standers as possible.
Ok I grew up in Chattanooga Tennessee area and have been going to the Riverbend Festival since I was a kid. In fact it was something that had happened at Riverbend the was in part why I became Dark Ghost and it was the final push I needed you might say. A few years I had taken my Grandma so watch the Country singer that was preforming that night and she can could not walk a lot so once we found a place to set up our chairs she would stay there and I would run to get her drinks and food while we were there. It was already dark and the show on the Coca-Cola stage had not been going long and my Grandma asked me to go get her a diet-coke. I went to this one concession stand thank I knew had bottled cokes. It was a long line and after I was there maybe 20 to 40 minutes there was only two or three people in line ahead of me ant in the back of the line I hear I girls voice yelling "stop" don't touch me" I look back and I see this young girl 14 maybe 16 years of age and the older drunk guy in his mid to late 20s groping her. I look around and I see this cop walking over and she saw them too cause she tried to call them over but the cop just kept walking. At this point I am next in line only one person ahead of me so I look back there and tell the girl that she can in front of me which she did. The drunk guy the get mad at me saying thing I will not put in this blog but mostly meaning why am I trying to keep him from getting lucky? I told him that anyone could see the girl is under age so unless he would like to be swimming in the Tennessee River that he best just shut up. Then that cop the had walked by starts on me for making a threat to the drunk guy I looked at the cop and told him why I said what I had and that I saw the girl trying to get him to help and him just walking by and how I now have his name and badge number and that his boss will be hearing about this. I got my Grandma's coke and then walked the girl back to her mom. I told her mom what happened and gave her the cops information. In the years since then I kept going to Riverbend and I saw that the problems kept getting worse. One year I was there a man walked in to one of the porta-potties that were there and a group of guys tried to push it down the hill and in to the river.
This year I went to Riverbend again after hearing about the brawl the happened on just the third night of the festival. Now the news media reported that the Friends of the festival the group that holds the Riverbend Festival had brought in a privet security company to help the police this year. I was there on the last night and I was not all that impressed with the security was I was able to get past it with a stun gun, mace, a baton, a pocket knife, my mask, and other parts of my gear. Also while I was there I saw that the police still seem to have no regard for the people attending Riverbend. I saw two guys in cuff being taking take out be the police the fist time the cops run over this one girl. I could not got the cops name or badge number else I myself would have reported him that girl was almost trampled had I not gotten her out of the way. Since I saw how thing were on inside the festival I started walk patrolling the outside and I only saw one cop out there and there were a lot of people not attending Riverbend that were there to see the fireworks at the end of the night. Having not seen but the one cop cover the outside of the festival I thought it best the I stay to patrolling outside as well. The only trouble I came across was a drunk guy that acted like he was looking for a fight with an older gentleman after a cigarette he seemed to claim down.
In Tennessee, it has been held that a private citizen has the right to arrest when a felony has been committed and he has reasonable cause to believe that the person arrested committed it. Reasonable grounds will justify the arrest, whether the facts turn out to be sufficient or not.
Tennessee law sates that a person placed under citizen's arrest may not sue the arresting party if it turns out no felony has been committed
What Are Felony Crimes in Tennessee?
Capital CrimeCrimes such as kidnapping, rape, arson or murder are capital crimes. Felons who have committed any of these crimes are likely to get either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Class A FelonyClass A felonies include manslaughter, sexual crimes, drug crimes such as possession of drugs or drug use, or burglary. Criminals who have committed a class A felony will most likely spend no less than 15 years in prison and no more than 60 years in prison.
Class B Felony
Class B felonies are theft of at least $60,000 or more, possession of at least 0.5 grams of cocaine, robbery or burglary. Felons who have committed a class B felony generally spend no less than eight years in prison and no more than 30 years in prison.
Class C FelonyClass C felonies include crimes such as fraud, white collar crimes, and drug crimes including the possession of 20 to 99 plants. Felons who have committed a class C felony usually spend no less than three years in prison and no more than 15 years in prison.
Class D FelonyClass D felonies in Tennessee include computer tapering, DUIs, aggravated assault or failure to pay child support. Felons who have committed a class D felony are likely to spend no less than two years in prison and no more than 12 years in prison.
Class E Felony
Class E felonies in the state of Tennessee are crimes such as computer fraud or aggravated gambling promotion. Felons who have committed a class E felony are likely to spend no less than one year in prison and no more than six years in prison.
Sentencing for Felonies
Class A - It has a probable sentence of imprisonment of about 15 to 60 years with an extreme fine of $50,000 for most of the offenses as well as $500, 000, 00 for the substance offenses.
Class B - This kind of felony has a probable sentence of imprisonment of about 8 to 30 years with an extreme fine of $25,000 for most of the offenses as well as $100,000 for the substance offenses.
Class C - It has a probable sentence of imprisonment of about 3 to 15 years with a great fine of $10,000 for most of the offenses as well as $100, 000, 00 for the substance offenses.
Class D - Tennessee felonies in the class D has a possible sentence of imprisonment of about 2 to 12 years with an intense fine of $5,000 for most of the offenses as well as $50, 000, 00 for the substance offenses. Class E - Felony charges in this type is charged with probable sentence of imprisonment of about 1 to 6 years with an extreme fine of $3,000 for most of the offenses as well as $5, 000, 00 for the substance offenses.
Holly Bobo was last seen Darden, Tennessee on April 13, 2011 just after 7:30am on a Wednesday. She lived on Swan Johnson Road and was a nursing student at the University of Tennessee's Martin Campus. She woke up early that morning to study for a test. A neighbor heard a scream coming from the Bobo home at 7:40am and had someone call Holly's mother, Karen, at work. Meanwhile at 7:50, Holly's 25 year old bother Clint woke up because he heard the dogs barking. He noticed Holly's car was still parked at the home, and he checked her room but she was not there. Karen called the house to ask if everything was okay, and when she found out Holly's car was still in at home she realized some thing was wrong and called 911.
After Clint spoke with his mother, he looked out the window and saw Holly and a man dressed all in camouflage walking towards the woods. He called Holly's cell phone, but no one answered and it went to her voice mail. It was opening day of turkey hunting season and Clint knew Holly's boyfriend, Drew Scott, would be turkey hunting. Because the man with Holly was dressed like a turky hunter, he thought the man must be Scott. When Karen called the house, Clint said the he'd seen his sister with Scott. However, Karen knew Scott was in fact hunting on the other side of Decatur County. She told Clint to take a gun and go after the man. Clint took a pistol and went to the garage, and noticed a puddle of blood near Holly's car. He thought it was from a turkey Scott had shot and he wasn't alarmed until a neighbor came and said her son had heard screams. Only then did he call 911. As he was calling the police arrived, responding to Karen's call.
Clint described the man with Holly as 5'10 to 6'0 tall, 180 to 200 pounds, dressed in non-insulated comauflage clothing . He couldn't see the man's face or hands but thought he might have been wearing gloves and a cap. Investigators believe he was a member of the local community and familiar with the rugged terrain. They think he abducted Holly as she was about to get into her car. Searcher found several items of interest, including Holly's lunch box found on the side of the road on Friday about eight miles from her home and her cell phone was found
Victor George Wall, a convicted sex offender, was questioned in Holly's case on August 4 2011 after he was arrested in Minnesota on unrelated charges. He had been convited of molesting a child in Washington state in the 1980s. Wall dropped out of sight just after Holly disappeared and were inable to locate him for months. They haven't named him or anyone else as a suspect in Holly's abduction. they stated both her brother and her boyfirend were both being cooperative and they were treating Clint as an eyewitness, not a suspect.
Holly is a first cousin of the Country music star Whitney Duncan, and Duncan has been active in publicizing her disappearance.
Holly's family believes her kidnapper was waiting around the corner in the car port watching the reflection on Holly's car. And when Holly rounded the corner, that's when they think he struck. Dana Bobo, Holly's father, said camouflaged man who kidnapped his daughter from their Darden home knew the family’s daily routines. "It might have been somebody close that kind of knew our routine when I left, and when she left, and when my daughter left to go to school," Dana Bobo said.
This year the search was renewed after a neighborhood dog reportedly dug up a purse that is believed to belong to Holly Bobo on Wednesday, but it is
unclear exactly where the purse was found just a mile from Holly Bobo's home but after seeing it in person Karen Bobo said it wasn't Holly's.
UPDATE
One week before her abduction Holly Bobo was singing at a coon hunt and there is video of it and as it turns out there were 21 sex offender there in attendance that day. Now two years later a new clue has came to light. When Holly Bobo seemingly vanished from the face of the earth, Then without warning well turns out maybe not, because whomever took Holly Bobo forgot to turn off the victim's cell phone after leaving her house. Through the use of GPS tracking, a map has been composed of the abductor's route. It's a map that, astonishingly, leads back near the scene of the crime.
UPDATE
Clint Bobo was the only witness to his sister Holly Bobo's abduction and he has been interrogated for more than 17 hours, strip searched, polygraphed and even hypnotized to find out exactly what he knows and remembers. He also turned over his hard drive and cell phone, yet some outsiders still think he had something to do with the crime. Clint Bobo said he never felt hated until his sister was abducted. He had never been called a criminal, much less a killer, until his sister disappeared but since Holly's he has received death threats and has been accused of planning or actually killing his sister Holly Bobo. Now it's Clint Bobo's role as an eyewitness that made him a suspect. Sound asleep that April day, Clint Bobo woke up to the sound of his dog barking then heard voices.
I slightly raised the blinds and looked out this window and saw Holly," Clint Bobo said. "It appeared to be Holly kneeling down and [Holly's boyfriend] Drew. They looked like they were kneeled down, facing each other in the garage, and they were talking back and forth. Holly sounded very upset and heated. He was doing much of the talking, and she would answer back and things like that. I couldn't make out hardly any of the words. The only words I could make out from here were Holly saying, 'No, why?'"
Clint Bobo said he figured Holly and her boyfriend Drew were breaking up.
At this time, Karen Bobo called home after she heard from a neighbor that there was a scream.
It's important to note that Clint Bobo didn't hear that scream, and Karen Bobo didn't tell her son there was a scream.
They were not on the same page. "I said, 'Clint, that's not Drew. Get a gun and shoot him.' And I remember him saying, 'You want me to shoot Drew?' So I hung the phone up again, and I think at that point I fell on the floor," Karen Bobo said.
Clint Bobo knew that Holly's boyfriend Drew was turkey hunting that morning, so he thought it was obviously Drew he saw wearing camouflage and talking with his sister. He said it appeared to be a serious conversation and maybe even a break-up talk. "And I don't want to call 911 and say, 'My sister and her boyfriend are breaking up,'" Clint Bobo said.
So, Clint Bobo didn't act, but went to check again. This time, he saw Holly walking into the woods with the man in camouflage. "The only thing I could see was his right arm, which was hanging down," Clint Bobo said. "I saw them up to about where those two trees are, and from that point I never saw them again."
Holly Bobo walked into the woods with the man in camouflage who Clint Bobo was sure was Drew, who was hunting that morning and it is now believed he may have had a gun or knife, and they continued up this path. On the other side of these woods there is a logging road where you can easily park a vehicle. The dogs, we know, pursued and then stopped. Why would they stop right there? Because the odds are she got into a vehicle
This is a theory backed up by, of all things, a map. Holly Bobo's abductor forgot to turn off her cell phone, so with GPS tracking, that phone can be tracked along a strange, back roads journey that ends in a surprising and upsetting possibility. The map shows that if police had immediately blocked four roads near the Bobo home, like Karen Bobo had begged them to do, they would have likely caught the abductor in the act.
UPDATE
Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has determined that the non-profit organization “Without Warning” did not investigate the case of missing Tennessee woman, Holly Bobo, to law enforcement standards as reported by Nashville television station WSMV which aired several stories during newscasts this month as well as a special documentary which aired May 12, 2013.
While speaking to TBI Special Agents, each member of the private investigative team admitted that they regurgitated information they had heard and read in order to talk about the case on television. In addition, the founder of “Without Warning,” Sheila Wysocki, wrote in an email to a TBI Special Agent, “You all have to realize that we have been able to make any story surrounding this case a ratings winner and online success which was the goal. In return, someone may come forward to be the hero and give you all the right information to resolve this case.” Each member of the team stated the information provided to them came from the victim’s family.
Since the stories aired, TBI has gone through the appropriate legal channels to obtain the information provided to “Without Warning” as well as video footage from WSMV. No information contained in the documents and video has led to any new evidence in the two year old investigation. The majority of documents contained in the binders are print outs of social media sites, comments posted on various internet websites, personal notes, public records, news articles and a production shooting schedule.
By their own admission, members of “Without Warning” said they had no geolocation information about Holly Bobo’s cell phone after her disappearance including the exact locations and times the phone “pinged” as reported by WSMV. The source of the incorrect and unofficial cell phone information has stated that he told “Without Warning” members the information was not accurate when he provided it to them. TBI has obtained emails exchanged between members of the “Without Warning” team where they discuss the inaccuracy of the times, but used them as factual information regardless.
“The erroneous television reports have led to false leads, public concern and have wasted valuable state resources,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “The most important thing, after finding Holly Bobo and the person responsible for her disappearance, is maintaining the integrity of this investigation should it ever go to trial. In addition, TBI is concerned that WSMV never confirmed any facts reported in the stories with our agency. Never have we seen such irresponsible and unprofessional journalism on an active and open TBI investigation that has been so harmful to the case.”
The 24th Judicial District Attorney General Hansel McAdams, the prosecutor responsible for handling the case, stated, “Without Warning and WSMV have had no regard for the truth and their careless use of misleading information has been detrimental to this case.”
TBI refutes several other allegations made in the reports including that the crime scene was contaminated by people, horses and helicopters, that there is dash cam video from a law enforcement vehicle of the subject, and that there were 21 sex offenders registered at the coon hunt that Holly attended shortly before her disappearance, and that an eyewitness was stripped searched. Further, there is no evidence to suggest that Holly Bobo is a victim of sex trafficking.
TBI’s Criminal Investigation Division Deputy Director Jeff Puckett said, “In 31 years of working at TBI, there has never been a case where this amount of local, state and federal resources have been dedicated to a single investigation. A typical TBI case file for a complicated homicide contains two volumes. The Holly Bobo case file is currently 27 volumes and contains more than 1500 investigative reports. There are more than a 100 judicial documents, including search warrants, subpoenas and court orders, and law enforcement has organized in excess of 100 ground searches. A dollar amount of resources dedicated to this case by law enforcement is too large to estimate.”
TBI’s investigation into Holly Bobo’s disappearance is open and ongoing. Multiple TBI Special Agents are assigned to work on the case which they do not consider to be a cold case. There is a $85,000 government and private citizen reward fund for information leading the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Holly Bobo’s disappearance as well as a reward being offered by a Memphis citizen urging the subject turn himself into authorities for $100,000 and a $250,000 reward for Holly Bobo’s safe return. Information about Holly Bobo’s disappearance should be reported to 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463)
UPDATE
The family of missing Tennessean Holly Bobo on Tuesday accused the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of ignoring their pain after what they call a “very inappropriate, very unprofessional” tweet by the agency’s spokeswoman.
The tweet, by TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm, referred to a story on Saturday detailing the TBI’s criticism of a Brentwood nonprofit’s involvement in the investigation and WSMV-Channel 4 reports on the group’s findings.
Helm posted a picture on Twitter showing The Tennessean’s story about the controversy with the caption, “Great way to start off my day and the coffee is brewing.”
Bobo’s mother said Tuesday that the tweet appeared to be “sounding victorious,” while her daughter remains missing.
“I do feel like the big picture has been lost and that picture is finding my daughter,” said Karen Bobo, standing on the steps of the state Capitol. “If this is an example of how TBI feels about my daughter’s case, then I do think there is a conflict of interest.”
Helm later apologized and said the tweet was from her personal account. The tweet has since been deleted.
“The tweet from my personal account was referring to the content of the article, not directed at the case,” she said in an email. “If it was construed as hurtful which was not its intention, I apologize. It does not reflect any opinion of TBI or my work, only my own personal thoughts after hours.”
Helm’s personal account does not indicate her connection to the TBI, though her more than 400 followers include many members of the media, government agencies and police departments.
Bobo went missing from her Decatur County home April 13, 2011, after she was last seen walking into the woods with an unidentified man wearing camouflage. Her family has consulted with private investigators to provide outside opinions and they have begun an online petition drive to form a statewide task force that deals solely with missing persons cases.
The Channel 4 story purported to reveal new details about the case, including information about Bobo’s cell phone, the strip searching of her brother and possible video footage of the suspect after her disappearance, details the TBI said were false.
Bobo’s mother said she expects the TBI to take action on the “very inappropriate, very unprofessional” tweet.
“I did take this personal,” she said. “I do feel that this was put out without regard for the feelings of Holly’s family.”
Update 2013 The frustrating search for missing nursing student has Holly Bobo heated up again with startling new revelations from private investigators. Bobo's cell phone emitted a signal near her Tennessee home approximately two hours after her brother saw a camouflaged man leading her into the woods in 2011, according to WSMV.
When charted across on a map, Bobo's cell phone indicates a path through her hometown of Parsons on April 11, 2011 after 8 a.m. Stunningly, the signal pops up again at 9:58 less than a quarter mile from her home, according to investigators from Without Warning Fight Back who spoke to the station. That raises the hope that the missing 20-year-old's kidnapper or his car might have been recorded on a police car's dashboard camera as he passed near the crime scene.
The potential breakthrough comes amid growing pressure on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations from Bobo's family. Her relatives want a new task force to investigate all missing persons cases in the state, WREG reported.
Police had already found her cell phone in perfect condition discarded along a highway north of Parsons.
Bobo's 25-year-old brother Clint has been interrogated for more than 17 hours, because he was the last person to see Holly. He recently spoke to the media for the first time about his experience, noting that he has received death threats from strangers who accuse him of killing his sister.
UPDATE
Feb 28, 2014
The director of the TBI, Mark Gwyn, addressed the media on Friday afternoon in connection to the search efforts for Holly Bobo.
Gwyn said that the searches are going on in not only Decatur County, but surrounding areas as well.
Gwyn would not release any particulars about what is happening during the search Friday, but he also said that he is "hoping to return Holly home safely to her home."
Gwyn said that the search effort is going to continue into the night and will last into Saturday and possibly the next few days.
Gwyn says that he thinks that the information that has been revealed in this case recently is "vital".
Gwyn also said that it took investigators a "long time" to make it to where they are and will not release any details that can jeopardize the case.
Currently, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
UPDATE
Posted:
Mar 03, 2014 10:13 AM PST Updated:
Mar 03, 2014 10:15 AM PST
Reported by Carley Gordon
DECATURVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
The man whose property is at the center of a TBI search in connection with the disappearance of nursing student Holly Bobo had bond set at $1 million Monday in an unrelated aggravated assault charge.
appeared in Decatur County General Sessions Court on Monday after his arrest on Friday hours after TBI and FBI agents began searching his property.
Decatur County General Sessions Judge Rick Woods raised the bail from $250,000 that was set by the county's judicial commissioner on Friday night.
Adams was upset at a reporter who took a photo of him as he was led from the courtroom after the arraignment.
"Don't take picture of me, man," Adams said to a reporter from The Jackson Sun newspaper. "I'm not the one."
According to reports, the Bobo investigation was not mentioned in court. Authorities have not said whether the assault charge is related to the disappearance of Bobo in April 2011.
According to the arrest warrant, Adams held a black revolver to the head of Amber Bray at his Holladay home and threatened to kill her. The affidavit also said that Adams pulled a knife on her while threatening to "gut" her.
Bobo was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2011, where she was seen by her brother being led away from her Darden, TN home.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation began executing search warrants on Adams' home and property off Highway 69 south of Interstate 40 on Friday afternoon.
Adams had been released from the Benton County jail on Feb. 26 on drug charges. The Jackson Sun reported that Adams did not have a lawyer at the arraignment hearing. He said he needed to contact his grandfather to arrange to hire a lawyer but had not been able to make a telephone call since Saturday night.
Decatur County officials transferred Adams to the jail in Chester County. Officials said the Decatur County jail was overcrowded.
Copyright 2014 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
UPDATE
(CNN) -- Friends and family of Holly Bobo, last seen in 2011, waited three years for news. Their worst fears have now been confirmed.
A man has been indicted on charges of kidnapping and murder in the case of the Tennessee woman, authorities announced Wednesday.
Zachary Adams, 29, is being held without bond.
A Decatur County grand jury handed down a two-count indictment of especially aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder.
"As this investigation continues, we are still asking for the public's help and support to help us continue to seek out justice regarding the disappearance of Holly Bobo," Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told reporters.
Because the investigation is ongoing, Gwyn declined to comment on whether any human remains have been found.
Bobo, a nursing student, was last seen in April 2011. She was 20 years old.
Her brother told authorities he saw a man in camouflage leading her away from their home in the small town of Darden.
The Bobo case rocked the largely rural swath of central Tennessee, from those who knew the young woman to others who rallied behind the effort to find her.
Hundreds of volunteers -- some on horseback and foot, others on all-terrain vehicles -- turned out to hunt for clues in Decatur, Henderson, Henry, Carroll and Benton counties. Many more attended memorial services or offered supportive thoughts online via groups on Facebook.
The TBI and local and federal authorities have spent hundreds of manpower hours on the case, Gwyn said. More than $450,000 has been offered in reward money.
Adams, who is being held at the Chester County jail, is set to appear in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors are evaluating whether they will seek the death penalty.
"Obviously, they're devastated," Gwyn said of the Bobo family.
"They've been devastated for three years. But, hopefully, this is the beginning of closure for the Bobo family, and they deserve that.".
UPDATE: From the Chattanooga Times Free Press
DECATURVILLE, Tenn. — A grand jury indicted a second person Tuesday on murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of 20-year-old nursing student Holly Bobo three years ago.
Jason Autry, 39, was indicted by a special grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn said at a Tuesday news conference in Decaturville that authorities have not found Bobo's body. However, he said they have sworn statements from witnesses who saw Bobo alive with Autry and Zachary Adams after Bobo disappeared from her home near Parsons in Decatur County on April 13, 2011.
Adams was indicted in March on the same charges that Autry now faces, and is currently being held without bond in the Chester County Jail.
Autry is currently serving a three-year sentence in Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in a separate case.
Gwyn said Adams and Autry were longtime friends. He declined to say whether there was any previous connection between Bobo and Autry.
District Attorney General Hansel McCadams said prosecutors could seek the death penalty in both cases.
Gwyn hinted that still others could be charged in the case.
"We believe there are other individuals out there with information about possible involvement," he said. "They can expect a knock at their door soon."
Bobo family friend Tammy Ramey attended the news conference wearing a "Justice for Holly" T-shirt and spoke afterward with reporters. She said she was not surprised to hear that Autry was charged because rumors that he was involved have been going around town ever since Bobo disappeared.
Ramey said she did not know Autry personally but has read about him in the newspaper.
She said she was encouraged to hear from Gwyn that they are still investigating other people as well.
"We want all that's involved," she said.
The family's pastor, Don Franks, also spoke with reporters after the news conference. He said he was with Bobo's parents earlier in the day when they were informed of the new charges.
"It's tough. And as more facts are revealed it gets even tougher," he said. But he added, "They are more determined than ever to have justice for Holly."
Gwyn also said that the grand jury on Tuesday indicted Adams on an additional charge of coercing a witness.
An affidavit of a TBI agent filed earlier this month with the Decatur General Sessions Court says Adams told another inmate to relay a message to his brother to keep quiet.
Adams said "tell my brother he is the one who started this ... and if he doesn't shut his mouth he will be in the hole beside her," the affidavit states.
On Friday, March 29, 2013 dispatcher receive a call 6:00 p.m. of a body found on the south bank of the Tennessee River off of Patton Chapel Road near Brown's Ferry marina just past Moccasin Bend that was found by two fishermen. This raises a few questions. Was she dumded there or up river? How long was she in the water before she was found? When I looked up the location I noted that there are high voltage power lines going form the South shore to the North shore. This gives someone easy access to the water and I immediately thought foul play. The next day the woman was identified as that of Deborah Underhill. Chattanooga Police have said that Underhill was reported missing late Thursday evening. She may have also been known as Deborah Faye Swafford who lived in the Red Bank and St Elmo areas. Now why two names ? I thought at first that it was changed because she was married the divorced or the reverse was the reason for two names. Then I thought why make note of it in a press release? Ms. Underhill lived in the Red Bank and St Elmo areas . Again this poses some question. Why make it a point to tell both the areas she lived in? What was the reason for the move? it is believed last Thursday Deborah Underhill was staying at a home on Tennessee Avenue. Ms. Underhill was known to frequent the downtown area, particularly the Public Library. The Medical Examiner’s Office has reported that there are injuries to her body which are suspicious in nature. What were those injuries? She was last seen on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. at the AIM Center, 472 W MLK Boulevard, Chattanooga and was wearing a tan plaid shirt, khaki pants, and white tennis shoes.
Nathan Hartwig with the Chattanooga Police Department, says "It's still just an undetermined death. It hasn't been ruled a homicide yet." this makes me ask WHY NOT?
Hartwig says, "There weren't any visible signs of foul play, but that's why we have to wait for the medical examiner's office." Well I say what about the suspicious injuries ?
Anyone who saw Underhill on Thursday or Friday is asked to contact the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525.
Deborah Underhill/Deborah Faye Swafford
was 5’05" tall,
weighted 177 lbs,
had shoulder length gray hair.
lived in the Red Bank and St Elmo
last seen on Thursday at the AIM Center, 472 W MLK Boulevard wearing a tan plaid shirt, khaki pants, and white tennis shoes.
I will update this post as more infomation is released or as I find more on my own.
UPDATE:
I went Sunday and look around the area were the body of Ms. Underhill was found so now I am thinking about going a mile up river and walking the bank back to the location were the body was found.
The Death of Deborah Underhill has been ruled as a homicide. The Medical Examiner's report states the cause of death was strangulation and blunt force injury to the chest and abdomen. The report shows Underhill was beaten and bruised over much of her body and ultimately strangled to death.
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) -
"Where she was found, how'd she get there, where did it happen, why did it happen," asked Karen Searle.
These are all questions that remain unanswered for the family of Deborah Underhill, who was beaten and bruised over much of her body and ultimately strangled to death before being found on the bank of the Tennessee River.
A year later, there are still no leads in the case, leaving police no closer to solving the murder.
"Just knowing that person is out there, not just because of what he did to Debbie. Has he done to this someone else or is he going to do it to someone else," asked Searle.
Searle is still puzzled as to why her sister was targeted in this violent crime.
"She was the light of the party, she could walk into a room and make everybody laugh because that's all she did was laugh," said Searle. "That's what makes me so angry because I know no one had a reason to do this."
The horrific memories were too much to bear for Searle, moving away just months after the murder.
"I don't want to go down town. I don't want to see pictures of downtown or the Tennessee River," said Searle. "For a while I can get busy and do other things, but then I get to thinking about it again. It makes ya angry."
All she wants are answers and is pleading for help in finding them.
"Somebody saw something," said Searle. "She would be trying to do whatever she could to hunt down who did this to one of her family members."
Searle says she is offering a small reward to whoever gives information that leads to the conviction of the killer.
If you have any information that could help in this case, you're asked to contact the Chattanooga Police Department or email me at dark.ghost.0001@gmail.com
Jon Bon Jovi's song August 7, 4:15 is a song about the death of a little girl by the name of Katherine Korzilius the 6-year old daughter of his bands manager Paul Korzilius. Katherine Korzilius was a normal, healthy six year old girl. The daughter of
Paul and and Nancy Korzilius, Katherine lived an upper middle class life in an
upscale gated community in Austin, Texas. Music lessons, swimming and a recent
trip to Turkey all atest to the happy, privileged life the Korzilius's were
afforded by Paul's job as an entertainment manager for the rock band Bon jovi.
Rounding out the family was nine year old brother Chris living in a upscale gated community in Austin Taxes
The two families were close you could even say that they were friends as the offten took vactions togather and the Korzilius even went with Bon Jovi on several of his tours. Things were best they seem that could be for the two families but on one summer day in August there world came crashing down when when tragedy stuck the family a painful and heart breaking death blow.
The day was August 7th, 1996 Paul Korzilius' birthday and Paul was working in his officed in New York helping Bon Jovi to promote his new tour and the subsequent album. Back home Katherine, Chris and Nacy had gone out to run some errands which included shopping for birthday gifts for Mr. Korzilius and grabing a bit to eat a the Subway. One there way home they stop off at the stopped by the group mailboxes at the edge of the gated community for Katherine to get the mail. The ritual was that Katherine who had a would get out and get the mail then walk the 1/8 of a mile home alone this was normal for them but this time Katherine would never make it home. After returning home to put groceries away, An hour later, Katherine had still not returned home. By this time, Nancy was in a panic. She had called the police, but was informed that, unless she had been missing for at least twenty-four hours, they could not declare Katherine missing. Angered and upset, Nancy pulled Chris into the family car and drove out to the mailboxes. When she did not see her daughter anywhere, she made a wide circle around the neighborhood. She found Katherine's battered body laying in the middle of the road over a half a mile away from the house, obviously not on the path she normally took home. Frantic, Nancy pulled her daughter into the car and headed for the local hospital. Around six hours later, at 11:30 P.M., Katherine was pronounced brain-dead.
Hospital examinations before her death revealed a fractured skull and several bruises and uneven cuts on one hip, both knees, both elbows, the left shoulderblade, and the small of her back. The coronrer corroborated this, saying that it was most likely caused by either falling, jumping, or being thrown froma moving vehicle. There was no evidence of sexual assault; only physical trauma.Later, the police sent the K-9 unit to track the girl's scent. Startng at the mailboxes, they had walked for perhaps five or six minutes when the trail veered off into a vacant lot, then disappeared, only to be picked up again where the body was found. Police and private detectives surmised that she encountered her attacker, ran into the lot to escape, but was then picked up and thrown into a vehicle. Whether she jumped out of the vehicle or if she was thrown was never discovered. But the coroner said that the fracture in her skull was of greater size and severity to have been caused by the fall; she had obviously been struck, possibly several times, in the head. Immediatly following her death a $5,000 reward was posted and offered by the
Home Owners Association of Austin, leading to information and an arrest in the
hit and run death of Katherine Korzilius. To this day, the reward stands
unclaimed. A year following the death of Katherine, the Korzilius's hired a
private investigatior to look into Katherine's death. This investigation turned
up nothing new.
In 1997, Jon Bon Jovi authored a song for Katherine on
his album, 'Destination Anywhere'. The last track on the CD, number twelve is
entitled, 'August 7, 4:15' a tribute to the death of Katherine Korzilius. In the
video, Jon Bon Jovi and Demi Moore play a couple whose child is killed by a hit
and run driver.The Unsolved Mysteries episode number 442 has been
re-aired over a dozen times. No new information has ever come to
light.The Korzilius's, Paul and Nancy remain married, and have never
been suspected of Katherine's death. Paul now heads up Jon Bon Jovi's charity
and is listed as the Treasurer.Katherine Korzilius's file remains open;
her death listed as suspicious, and believed to be that of a hit and
run.A dedication site to Katherine Korzilius created by the family
remains open.
Ok I have review this and there are a few things that really have jumped
out at me.
1. The police dogs lost here trail near the vancant lot the
she girl would have past on her route home from the mail box. This leads me to
beleave that that some one may have picked her up after hitting here with a car.
I say that she was hit by a car because the injuries on here body
2.
Where she was lead out. Who ever done this wanted here to be found
3. Now
there is the way that she was lead out. She looked peacful like shs was sleeping
the make the think that the person that had done this felt bad for what they
have done.
The family of a missing Greater Toronto Area man is pleading for help in locating their loved one.
Stephen Lapowich
On the anniversary of Stephen Lapowich’s disappearance two years ago, his mother – Gayle – said not knowing her son’s whereabouts has been extremely difficult for her and other family members.
Lapowich, 30, disappered without a trace after arriving in Puerto Rico from Miami on March 28, 2011. He left Toronto a day earlier for a three-week holiday in Costa Rica. The airline however cancelled the flight and Lapowich decided to travel to Puerto Rico.
“Birthday, holidays and family get-togethers are the hardest times to get through,” the mother said at a press conference at police headquarters on March 27.
“It’s also difficult for me late at nights when my thoughts go to where he is in this world. I try to be optimistic, but I see-saw between that and despair, knowing the kind of person Stephen is.
“He’s so sensitive to family and other people’s needs. I can’t imagine him being anywhere in the world and not letting us know everything is alright. This is not Stephen.”
The family matriarch issued a special appeal to flight attendants for help in finding her son.
“I know you travel the world and sometimes you stop over in cities for two and three days,” she said.
“If you could download a picture of Stephen and keep your eyes open, I would appreciate it.”
Det. Const. Clayton White of 33 Division said Toronto Police has received generous co-operation from Puerto Rico law enforcement, Interpol, Homeland Security and Canada’s External Affairs Dept.
“In addition, we are working with the family to make use of social media networks and Crime Stoppers to create awareness of the disappearance, not only in Toronto, but throughout the United States,” he said.
“This is being done with the assistance of Crime Stoppers USA and other Crime Stoppers, particularly in the Caribbean.”
White said information will also be disseminated by various missing persons organizations, such as Ontario’s Missing Adults Registry in Ottawa and the America’s Missing Abducted and Lost Persons Network in Texas.
“This has been an extremely difficult period for the Lapowich family and they have not only worked with police, but have offered a reward of up to $30,000 for information which helps locate Stephen,” White said.
“This reward is quite different from the standard reward offered by Crime Stoppers since the person who can help must directly contact Toronto police investigators. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers and will be eligible for that program’s standard reward if their information helps reunite Stephen with his family.”
White said the family has dispatched a retired Toronto Police officer, who speaks Spanish and is a private investigator, to Puerto Rico.
“He will inform the authorities there of our efforts here today and follow up on any leads that result from this initiative,” White said.
“He will also conduct follow-up interviews with a number of people to try to trace the missing man’s movements after leaving the airport.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact White at (416) 808-3300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook.
Like most cities in the good old USA, Chattanooga has it's fair share of street gangs that carve out their own territories within the city. In 2011, the Chattanooga Police Investigators documented 40 active gangs and 1,100 gang members in the city. Each Community has a territory that serves as a syndicate that controlled drug trafficking, home invasions, robbery, theft, and other crimes. It is important to note that color does not apply in the gang affiliation in Chattanooga. The well known gangs that are in Chattanooga are the Bloods who run the southside, the Crips who run East Lake and North of Willow and Dodds, the Vice Lords who are allies to the the Bloods, the Gangsters Disciples who are allies to the Crips, Pirus who are allies with the Bloods, and MS-13 which transnational criminal gang. Whereas gangs like the Bloods and the Crips are hybrid gang meaning that they are made up of small gangs that have banded together. Now the Gangsters Disciples seem to have a chain of command and defined leaders and are more havs covert styles of selling drugs making them more of a organized-crime gang rather than the average steet gang. The Gangsters Disciples seem to do more recruiting than other gangs in the city and are the biggest in the city but the bloods are not far behind them.
FOLK NATION GANGS
FOLK SIGNS & SYMBOLS
PEOPLE NATION GANGS
PEOPLE SIGNS & SYMBOLS
Crips
6-point star
Bloods
5-point star
Gangster Disciples
Pitchfork facing up
Vice Lords
Dice
Black Gangster Disciples
Winged heart
Latin Kings
Crown
Latin Disciples
Devil horns
Pirus
Bunny head facing left
La Raza
Backward facing bunny head
Pyramid
Number six with a tail
Crescent
The crimes gang members commit. Drugs are the most common gang-related crime, followed by assaults. Specific gang activities in neighborhoods involve bullying, intimidation, drug sales, loitering, violence and fighting, robberies, break-ins, prostitution, shootings and graffiti. Local gangs often fight over girls or relationship issues, and these confrontations sometimes include members of the same gang
Peak times for gang crime. Fridays are the busiest for gang crime. Tuesdays are the slowest. Crime peaks at 11 p.m.
On the street and on the Internet. Gang members are tech savvy and use Facebook and other social media to brag about their exploits, glorify their illegal lifestyles and plan activities
Need a gun? No problem. Gang members reported that it's easy to get guns in Chattanooga. If you have the cash, you can get "whatever you want on the streets," including AK-47s and high-powered rifles. Many younger members who were interviewed said that 15- to 18-year-olds commonly carry guns for protection. Only about one-third of suspects brandished a gun in gang-related crimes reported to police.
How do you identify these gangs well
Bloods = red; also sets known to wear brown, orange, burnt orange to
represent dried blood
Crip = Blue
Vice Lord = Black, red, green, gold
Gangster Disciples = black and blue
MS-13 = numerous tattoos on their bodies and faces, wear blue and white colors taken from the El Salvadoran flag.
