Pinkston may call in TBI to investigate Berke official's case

Robert and Lacie Stone
Robert and Lacie Stone
photo Robert and Lacie Stone
photo Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke speaks during the dedication of the $200,000 M.L. King Boulevard mural project on Jan. 18, 2016.

District Attorney Neal Pinkston is strongly considering whether to call in the Tennessee Bureau of investigation to investigate a case involving a domestic dispute with Mayor Andy Berke's top adviser and her husband.

The dispute between Berke's adviser Lacie Stone and her husband, Bobby Stone, ended with his arrest Saturday morning after Lacie Stone called Police Chief Fred Fletcher and went to his house after the alleged attack.

After the arrest, Berke moved to deny rumors that the attack was related to Bobby Stone's alleged discovery that his wife and Berke were romantically involved.

Pinkston's spokeswoman Melydia Clewell said the nature of the allegations and the statements issued by the city and police after the arrest "created unusual concerns for our prosecution of this case."

"Our office has a duty to ensure every person charged with a crime in Hamilton County is treated fairly, that the integrity of the process is upheld and that no defendant is deprived due process," she said Wednesday evening.

Fletcher said in a written statement that Stone's dispute was treated the same as any other crime.

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