By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
This week, in the arrests reports, we have a guy who was arrested on charges that, in addition to several other moving violations, included fleeing and eluding, breaking the helmet and eye protection laws, all-terrain vehicle violations, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and – to top it all off – criminal littering. In all there were 13 violations.
Just from the arrest report alone, you know there has to be one heck of a story behind this. One that involves a chase and weaving across into the opposite lane of traffic. It’s one I’d love to hear, from both the officers involved and the person leading the chase. It’s sadly, however, one of many such stories that will likely remain a part of my imagination alone. At least for now.
One of my dearest wishes for this paper is to grow large enough that we can add one more part time writer. That writer would focus on courts and crime exclusively.
It’s a role I know fairly well. It’s one of several beats I have covered over the years. But it’s also a role that’s usually confined to daily newspapers. They have enough resources and staff to allow someone to dedicate their time purely to the courthouse. They also need those daily updates and the minutiae of trials to fill their daily requirements for content.
Still, even with all that, the hearings and proceedings are pretty regular and scheduled things. A reporter who follows the arrest reports, indictments, and court dockets closely can skip out on hearings for unpaid speeding tickets and focus on drug busts or violent assaults. They’ll recognize the names.
It’s a role that requires a lot of attention though. At least as much attention as we currently pay to local government, and I currently see no way to increase coverage of crime without the other coverage suffering from neglect. Even with interns and part time sports coverage, there is no one who can currently dedicate the time needed to sit at the courthouse during all the proceedings they would need to – especially when first starting out.
So, until we can afford to hire that person, we’ll have to limit our coverage to arrests, indictments, and – when there is something particularly compelling or important – what coverage we can of the hearings.
We’ll continue reaching out to police and following the public records, and doing what we can. Because, we may not have all the resources we’d like, but we really want to hear those stories.
And if anyone knows what happened with the ATV violations, shoot me a direct message. It doesn’t even have to be on the record.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
