24 THE GREENEVILLE SUN GREENE COUNTY GUIDEBOOK
Courts
Standing at left is Mike Faulk, taking the oath of office as a Third Judicial District Circuit Court judge on July 1, 2013. Shown in this photo along with Faulk are the other two active Third Judicial District Circuit Court judges and two former Circuit Court judges, along with other dignitaries. From left, are: Faulk, former district attorney general Heiskell Winstead; Circuit Judge Tom Wright (partially obscured); Rogersville attorney Jack Marecic; former Circuit Judge Kindall Lawson, who was succeeded by Faulk; Circuit Judge John K. Wilson; his wife, Nancy Wilson; former U.S. Rep. Bill Jenkins, who served as a Third District Circuit Judge before being elected to Congress; and Rogersville attorney Mark Stapleton. At far left is Faulk’s faithful and ever-present companion Reuben.
and Jon “Chal” Thompson are Bell’s assistant district attorneys in Greeneville. Others in the office are Alison Burns, a criminal investigator; April Allen and Angela Breeden, victim witness coordinators; Lori Harmon, administrative assistant; and Lisa Kidwell, secretary. Bell’s Morristown office is served by Dan Armstrong, Lindsey Maguigan, Kim Morrison, and Connie Trobaugh, assistant district attorneys; Kennetta Pratt, criminal investigator; Bobbie Barnhart, victim witness coordinator; and Bobbie Lakins, secretary. Serving Bell’s Rogersville office are Alex Pearson and Kevin Keeton assistant district attorneys; Teddy Collingsworth, criminal investigator; and Rebecca Burchett, secretary. Connie Trobaugh also serves as assistant district attorney in Sneedville. Gloria Neeley is administrator of the Child Support Enforcement Division. Assistant district attorneys Tina Ailshie and Tara Trent handle child support cases.
the clerk & master to collect delinquent property taxes in her office. Website: For court sale information see: www.greeneville. com/courtsale Circuit Court Location: Third floor of the Greene County Courthouse. The Circuit Court Clerk is Pam M. Venerable. Hours: The clerk’s office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays except holidays. Phone: 798-1760 or 798-1764. Fax: 798-1763. Judges: Circuit Judges are John K. Wilson and Tom Wright, both of Greeneville, and Mike Faulk, of Church Hill. Role: Circuit judges hear civil cases in which juries are involved, such as negligence, personal injury, malpractice and product liability; and nonjury cases such as divorce, child custody, petitions for
STATE/COUNTY General Sessions Court General Sessions Court and Juvenile Court (not a court of record) are the two state courts that are operated at the county level in Greene County. Location: Greene County Courthouse Phone: 798-1730 Judge: Kenneth Bailey Jr. is judge of the General Sessions and Juvenile courts. Staff: Gene Norton is court officer for the judge. Role: The General Sessions Judge hears misdemeanor cases and holds preliminary hearings on all felony cases unless the right to a preliminary hearing is waived by the defendant. Sessions Court is also a small-claims court with jurisdiction limited to $25,000. Juvenile Court Location: Greene County
Starts on Page 23 Kathy Moore, Robyn Myers, and Susan Waddell; Asset Forfeiture Specialist Donna Qualls; and Cynthia St. John, paralegal. Federal Defender Services Location: 129 W. Depot St. Suite 1. Phone: 636-1301 Website: www.fdset.org The office’s attorneys are Nikki Pierce and Tim S. Moore. The paralegal is Jodie Ricker and the legal assistant is Rebecca Hetrick. The investigator is Brian Hackett. STATE There are three trial-level state courts in Greene County whose judges may interchange with one another: Chancery Court, Circuit Court and Criminal Court. Greene County is part of a four-county circuit that makes up the Third Judicial District served by five judges. The counties are Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins and Hancock. Chancery Court Location: Lower level of the Greene County Courthouse, South Main Street at East Depot Street. The offices of the Clerk & Master, Kay Solomon Armstrong, also are located there. Hours: Except for holidays, hours for the clerk & master’s office are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the office closed for lunch between noon and 1 p.m. Phone: 798-1742 or 7981744. Fax: 798-1743. Chancellor: Douglas T. Jenkins Role: The Chancery Court hears the same types of lawsuits as the Circuit Court, except for personal-injury matters and criminal cases. The county’s delinquent property tax lawsuit has historically been filed in Chancery Court, thereby causing
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Friday, August 30, 2013
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orders of protection, adoptions, land disputes and workers compensation cases. Criminal Court John F. Dugger Jr. is the Criminal Court judge for the Third Judicial District. He hears felony and misdemeanor cases. When Dugger is holding court in Greeneville, his office numbers are the same as the Circuit Court Clerk’s, 7981760 or 798-1764. District Attorney General The district attorney general for the Third Judicial District is C. Berkeley Bell. Location: 124 Austin St., Suite 3. Phone: 787-1450; child support, 787-1458 Hours: D.A., 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays; child support, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Staff: David Baker, Ritchie Collins, Cecil C. Mills Jr.,
Courthouse Phone: 798-1736 Role: Bailey hears criminal cases involving juvenile defendants as well as petitions for unruly youths, truants and those who have violated a traffic law, curfew or smoking ordinance. In Juvenile Court, Bailey handles all petitions dealing with Greene County children in which there are allegations of abuse, neglect or dependency upon the state, as well as custody and child support issues in paternity cases. Staff: David Leonard sits as juvenile magistrate two days a week. He hears dependency and neglect cases and any other cases designated by Bailey. Rhonda Craft serves the Juvenile Court as the youth services officer, and Tosha Coggins is youth services assistant. Renee Pickering serves the city Juvenile Court as the truancy program specialist and Amber Steele serves the county Juvenile Court. Sherry Laws is the legal secretary. Starr Bewley is office manager for both courts and a legal secretary to the judge. The Circuit Court clerk maintains all records for Sessions and Juvenile courts and issues all warrants. Pajan Cox-Wilhoit serves as the child-support referee, appointed by the trial judges for domestic relations/child support cases. MUNICIPAL • Greeneville Municipal Court is in the board room in the Greeneville Light and Power System building, at 110 N. College St. Court is held at 3 p.m. on Mondays. Presiding is Judge Linda Woolsey. • Tusculum City Court is in session on the third Monday of every month at 1:30 p.m. Linda Woolsey, city judge, presides. • Baileyton City Court is in session on the third Monday of each month, at 11 a.m. Linda Woolsey, city judge, presides.