The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation Thursday into a domestic violence incident involving one of Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s senior advisers, even as new details about the incident emerged.
Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston asked the TBI to look into the case, which involves allegations that Mayor Andy Berke had a sexual relationship with his adviser, Lacie Stone, and that the relationship prompted Stone’s husband, Bobby Stone, to attack her Friday night.
Bobby Stone was arrested and charged with domestic assault and vandalism early Saturday morning, after Lacie Stone called police Chief Fred Fletcher for help and said her husband was going to kill her, Fletcher said Wednesday. She then went to Fletcher’s house to wait for police.
Berke has adamantly denied allegations of a sexual relationship with Lacie Stone, and Fletcher said the domestic violence case was treated like any other.
But Pinkston’s spokeswoman, Melydia Clewell, said Wednesday that Pinkston’s office wanted the TBI to look into how police handled the case, and that Berke and Fletcher’s comments raised “unusual concerns” for prosecutors.