All charges dropped on the kids. Apparently there's 1. no proof the kids started the fire that caused the death and destruction and 2. the state can't bring forth charges for crimes committed in federal grounds.
Add from a lawyer friend in Sevierville the feds don't want to go after two teenagers unless it's open and shut
The attorney calls it "horseplay" and says it's time to "move on"..... **** that! There are 14 people who will never be able to "move on" and scores of others injured... I hope the Feds take this up and give the families of the victims justice...
Supposedly there is video of the people throwing lit matches along the trailside... Granted, the park response was puzzling but they wouldn't have had to make that decision had these "fine young men" not been setting the woods on fire in the first place...
By going after the kids who the State was unable to prove caused the fires that lead to the death and damages in Gatlinburg?
I don't consider Anderson Co "in the area" of Gatlinburg, but we might have different definitions of "in the area".
The greater Knoxville/oak Ridge area would fit my idea of local since I'm five hours away in godforsaken Georgia...
My dad lives In Kingston, and I don't consider that in the area. Regardless, yes, one of the kids had a high powered, well known, expensive attorney. However, the State couldn't prove the kids had anything to do with the devastation in Gatlinburg and as Card said, the Feds don't seem interested in pursuing since it isn't an open and shut case (which was pretty much their stance all along). Was it insane and stupid to be walking around lighting matches in the Forrest while there was a drought and no burn mandate? Yes, it was. Are they the sole, or even primary blame or even to be blamed at all? I'm not sure they are. I understand that people affected will see it differently too. And we always want somebody held responsible, but there's still plenty of blame to be laid at the feet of multiple other parties.
Agreed, and as I alluded to earlier the parks decision to let the fire burn is questionable at best but to me, the bottom line is that the fire got started because these kids were filmed on a GoPro tossing matches. If that isn't proof enough then we may as well never bother to charge anyone with arson ever again. A retired couple I knew that lived in my town here died in the fire so I may be a little more militant in my views than others....
Here's more info: He did not respond to a request for comment, including why he charged the boys with directly causing the Gatlinburg wildfires when he knew before those charges were filed about the winds and the fact that the National Park Service chose to allow the Chimney Tops fire to burn. Dunn's prosecution of the boys has been used by local and state agencies to shield release of public records about the fire and the emergency response. Dunn also did not mention in his statement that he didn't have the power to prosecute the boys at all. USA Today Network-Tennessee has obtained records showing state authorities have had no legal authority to prosecute crimes in the park since 1997. Those records show the park was left out of a 1997 agreement giving both state and federal authorities on federal lands. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/gatlinburg/2017/06/30/attorney-arson-charges-against-teens-fatal-gatlinburg-wildfire-dropped/442706001/
I'm not sure if the State can't prosecute crimes committed on all federal grounds (I need an attorney to weigh in here) but they defineiy CANNOT in this case.
While the exact timing and circumstances were despicable, this fire was inevitable guys. And it won't be the last one to burn Gatlinburg if nothing changes. We may not be alive to see it, but fire is part of that ecosystem and people don't build or manage land properly to account for it.
