Letter To The Editor – I am deeply disturbed by the Gunn case

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

“Letters To The Editor” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Jefferson County Post nor any of its employees.  The Jefferson County Post does not underwrite any of the facts or situations mentioned in the letters.

Submitted by: David Seal, Dandridge, TN

I am deeply disturbed by the Gunn case, a case in which a 68 year old grandmother was charged, arrested, mug shot, and fingerprinted like a murder suspect, apparently because she dared to express her support for a slate of political candidates in the last election that stood for property rights and open government. As a citizen, she exercised her First Amendment right to speak out and make a difference in Jefferson County, only to be charged under a very obscure Tennessee law designed to prevent special interest groups and large corporations from anonymously influencing election outcomes. She was encouraged by the TBI to quietly plead guilty. Obviously, they did not know Ms. Gunn and her determination as a concerned citizen.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation produced and distributed a press release with a photograph of Gunn to the media for a Class C Misdemeanor, as if she was a fugitive or hardened criminal. A Class C Misdemeanor is a crime that carries a penalty less than that of a speeding ticket. The TBI press release contained a ludicrous statement that said that she had been indicted by a grand jury. No Grand Jury had been seated during the months of the Gunn case. The TBI later retracted the false statement about the Grand Jury indictment and offered an apology to her attorney. The complainant, or complainants, were never revealed to the public. The TBI Agent that was named on the formal complaint was from Johnson City; and the motivation for the whole mess remains a mystery; and the cloud of secrecy around the case serves to fuel speculation. When Gunn’s Attorney, Scott Hurley, started her defense in court proceedings and pressed for the identity of her accuser, everyone started running from the case like a bad rash. The case was quietly dismissed. Jefferson County is better than this; and we as citizens deserve better treatment of our constitutional right to free speech.

A list of very disturbing questions:

Did a person, or group of persons, call in political favors to have this done to Clarice Gunn, If so, who? Who had the political firepower to persuade the TBI to get involved with a Class C Misdemeanor and elevate the level of the press release to that of a murder case, and why? Why did the TBI assign an agent from Johnson City to investigate a Class C Misdemeanor in Jefferson County and expend taxpayer resources on the prosecution of a 68 year old woman from Strawberry Plains who mass-mailed a letter in support of political candidates? What was to be gained from the prosecution of such a case? Was the case against Gunn motivated by revenge, if so, who sought retribution? Who in the chain of law enforcement and state attorney general decided to issue a false statement that said Gunn had been indicted by a Grand Jury, and why? Who had the juice to persuade the TBI to issue a false statement and treat a Class C misdemeanor like the case of the century? Who stood to gain from such a false statement; and who had the firepower to have it done to her? Was the TBI press release designed to discredit her as a plaintiff in the ongoing open-records law suit in Jefferson County Chancery Court, as some have asserted in the news media, if so, who felt the need to discredit her? Was the charge brought against her because she is a resourceful plaintiff in the open-records law suit; and could the charge have been designed to discourage her financial participation in the case? Finally, who is next to be arrested for exercising free speech and standing up for property rights and open government?

Lessons to be learned from this case:

1) If you accuse someone of wrongdoing, step forward and stand behind your actions. Do not act like a coward and run when you are confronted. 2) Think ahead concerning your actions. 3) Respect your fellow citizens in their right to speak out and improve their community. 4) Do not waste taxpayer money. 5) Speak out when something important needs to be said.

Submitted by David Seal, Dandridge, TN