NASHVILLE
Former medical examiner guilty
Former state medical examiner Bruce Levy has pleaded guilty to official misconduct for taking marijuana from evidence lockers.
In Davidson County Criminal Court on Tuesday, Judge Seth Norman sentenced Levy to three years of supervised probation. The sentence will run concurrently with a three-year probated sentence in Mississippi, stemming from the same March incident in Ridgeland, Miss.
Both states have canceled contracts with Levy.
As a condition of his probation, Levy will undergo drug testing. His record will be expunged in both states if he successfully completes probation.
After the hearing, attorney David Raybin read a statement from Levy in which he apologized to the people of Tennessee and said he is in recovery from addiction.
CALHOUN, Ga.
Woman charged with battery
A Calhoun nursing assistant was arrested in connection with a prank in which she allegedly spun an elderly woman around in her wheelchair and poured ice down her back, police said.
Calhoun police arrested 20-year-old Christy Hardin-Simerly, of Adairsville, Ga., and charged her with simple battery Monday, Chief Garry Moss said in a news release.
Police were called to Calhoun Health Care on Nov. 11 and told an 83-year-old patient had reported that she was spun around several times after she asked the nurse to stop, Moss said. She also said ice had been put down her back.
Police determined Hardin-Simerly, who worked as a certified nursing assistant at the home, had assaulted the victim in a manner that met the simple battery charge, Moss said.
The incident began as a prank but, once the victim voiced a complaint, Hardin-Simerly was obligated to stop her actions and didn’t, police spokesman Lt. Tony Pyle said.
LaFAYETTE, Ga.
Walker deputies seek runaways
The Walker County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two teens who apparently ran away after school on Nov. 17.
Sarah Roberts, 16, and Blake Thomas, 17, last were seen Nov. 20 in the Brunswick/Darien, Ga., area in a red 1996 Ford Ranger truck with a Tennessee tag, Sheriff Steve Wilson said in a news release.
Roberts’ father last saw her when he dropped her off at Ridgeland High School early last week, Wilson said. The couple is believed to be in the Jacksonville, Fla., area.
Anyone with information about Roberts and Thomas is urged to call the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 706-638-1909.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
Troopers to begin highway blitz
Alabama state troopers will begin a four-day blitz of the state’s highways today.
Troopers will be out in force as part of the Department of Public Safety’s Take Back Our Highways campaign. During the 102-hour period, travelers will see more troopers and more tickets written.
— Staff and Wire Reports