Tag: Craig Northcott

Tennessee DA Cleared of Wrongdoing After Condemning Islam and Homosexuality as Against God

Corinne Murdock

After two years of investigations, Tennessee district attorney general Craig Northcott was cleared of wrongdoing for arguing that Islam and homosexuality are against God. Following complaints against Northcott’s outspoken religious beliefs, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (TBPR) Disciplinary Counsel reportedly attempted to publicly censure Northcott. The TBPR claimed that Northcott violated the rules of ethics, which Northcott denied. TBPR never claimed that Northcott mishandled a specific case purposefully based on an individual’s theological beliefs or sexual orientation. Due to a lack of evidence indicating any professional misconduct, TBPR dropped the case.

As The Tennessee Star reported when the investigation first opened in 2019, TBPR was prompted to look into Northcott following multiple complaints over his social media posts concerning Islam. Northcott had responded to other comments referencing Muslims on a Facebook post asking whether it was acceptable to stereotype an entire group with mixed beliefs versus letting individuals be judged based on their own actions. In the comments, the original poster defended that not all Muslims were evil. Northcott opined that they were due to the inherent evil of Islamic teachings and texts.

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Islamic Group Demands Coffee County District Attorney Resign

Chris Butler

  Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, assigned the Glen Casada and Justin Jones case, has reportedly stirred up controversy of his own by criticizing the Islamic religion on Facebook. This, according to several news outlets, who also reported that the Council on American-Islamic Relations wants Northcott to resign. CAIR also reportedly wants the Tennessee Republican Party to “repudiate” him over the posts. Northcott did not return The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment. In a Facebook post Saturday, however, Northcott said he will not resign. “Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of support that you have shown me over the past couple of days. It has been truly humbling. I am honored to serve as your District Attorney. Rest assured, I am not resigning,” Northcott wrote. “If they figured I would apologize for calling hate in any form evil, they miscalculated. If they expect me to denounce my faith because of their tactics, they are going to be disappointed.” Members of the Tennessee Republican Party’s Nashville-based headquarters did not return our repeated requests for comment. CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper told The Tennessee Star Friday that members of his group called for Northcott’s resignation, despite only learning about his Facebook…

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Tullahoma Police Chief Resigns in Plea Deal Over Charge of Tampering With Evidence from Son’s Car Crash

Jason M. Reynolds

  The Tullahoma police chief resigned after entering a no contest plea Monday to a charge of tampering with evidence, WSMV reported. Paul Blackwell resigned as chief after letting go of his Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) certification as a condition of his plea agreement, which means he is no longer a certified law enforcement officer, the station said. Blackwell received a four-year sentenced suspended to probation under a deferred judgment, according to 14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Niland said in December 2018 that Northcott had requested the investigation, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. “The complaint stems from his office’s handling of the investigation of a motor vehicle crash involving the chief’s son in November,” Niland said. In January, Blackwell and Tullahoma Police Department Capt. George Marsh were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, The Manchester Times said. The investigation was handled by the City of Tullahoma; TBI conducted the investigation of misconduct. Jennings Jones, DA of the 16th Judicial District, handled the prosecution after Northcott recused himself. Marsh, who resigned in February, also gave up his POST certification and will not face any…

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