Chattanooga prosecutors played two surveillance videos this morning to support their argument that a convenience store in College Hill Courts is a public nuisance.
The Westside Shop was padlocked last week after a judge approved a temporary version of Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston’s 47-page petition.
Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholtz was cautious today not to hold a full evidentiary hearing without the Westside Shop’s owner present. He set another hearing on May 9 and allowed prosecutors to introduce just two videos.
The shop has retained a lawyer, Douglas Cox, who focused today on how many videos prosecutors had of alleged criminal activity and whether it was connected to Westside or just violence in the area.
“There weren’t any employees at Westside who were participants, were there?” Douglas asked after one video depicted a brawl outside the store, which is part of a handful of retail shops on Grove Street that have since shut down.