Amanda Sammons





By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

JACKSBORO, Tenn. — A Campbell County judge was indicted Wednesday on four felony charges and temporarily suspended from the bench.

A Campbell County grand jury issued an indictment charging General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons with four counts of official misconduct in the handling of two separate cases in which she was accused of lying and misusing her authority. The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct issued a temporary suspension order Wednesday evening that bars Sammons from performing any judicial functions.

Sammons is expected to be booked on the charges Thursday morning and will be arraigned by Senior Judge Paul Summers next week. Eighth Judicial District Judge Shayne Sexton, whose district includes Campbell County, has recused himself.

Sammons' attorney, Wade Davies, issued a statement saying the judge is innocent.

"While this is disappointing, Judge Sammons is prepared to show she has not committed any offense," Davies said. "Judge Sammons will plead not guilty, and we will work to get this case tried quickly so that she can go back to carrying out the job the people of Campbell County elected her to do."

The charges against Sammons came after a News Sentinel investigation into several allegations of misconduct and abuse of authority by the judge. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation launched a probe earlier this year headed up by special prosecutor Dan Armstrong, who presented the case to the grand jury Wednesday. Armstrong, whose district includes Greene and Hamblen counties, was tapped after prosecutor Jared Effler, whose district includes Campbell County, also recused himself.

Sammons is accused in the indictment of two counts of official misconduct in her handling of the case of LaFollette, Tenn., mother Krista Leigh Smith.

Records obtained in late January by the News Sentinel showed Sammons ordered Campbell County Sheriff's Office jailers to elevate a child neglect charge filed against Krista Smith for failing to buckle up her children to aggravated child abuse, the toughest abuse law on the books.

Sammons later said in a speech from the bench that she never ordered the charge changed but instead, in confusion with another case she has never identified, increased the bond. She repeated that assertion in a written order.

The jailers, in turn, sought legal representation from attorney Charles C. Burks Jr., who said the jailers intended to testify Sammons was lying.

Smith, 26, sat in jail for two days in January, first under no bond, then under a $250,000 bond — unaware of any change to the charge she faced or why her bail was so high. Sammons then altered a record of the increase in Smith's charge by marking through it with a pen, jail records showed.

Caryville Assistant Police Chief Joseph Hopson stopped Smith's car Jan. 22 on U.S. Highway 25W when he said in a warrant that he saw "a small child unrestrained in the back seat." Attorney Kristie Anderson took Smith's case for free. She asked Sammons to step aside, but the judge refused.

Sexton then ordered Sammons removed, and Smith was later allowed to plead guilty to traffic charges of failing to buckle up the children and fined $30.

Anderson is the victim in one of the remaining two counts of official misconduct. The fourth victim is a divorce client of Anderson's.

In that case, just days after taking the bench in September 2014, Sammons issued a show-cause order for contempt of court against Anderson and her client when they did not appear for a hearing in the divorce case. Testimony has shown Anderson was unaware of the hearing.

Sammons later stated in open court that Anderson was disrespectful, showed disdain for the judge and yelled at court personnel — none of which was alleged in the show cause order nor was Anderson ever accused of such conduct.

But when defense attorney Herbert S. Moncier challenged Sammons on behalf of Anderson, the judge insisted the opposing attorney in the divorce case sought to have Anderson and her client held in contempt. That attorney, Larry Vaughn, denied that claim in an interview with the News Sentinel and later at a court hearing earlier this year.

Sammons, while under oath, first continued to insist Vaughn sought the contempt order but then reversed course under questioning by Moncier and conceded she filed the contempt action on her own.

The contempt charges against Anderson and her client were dismissed.

Campbell County Circuit Judge John McAfee and Chancellor Elizabeth Asbury will fill in for Sammons until the Campbell County Commission appoints an interim judge.

The News Sentinel investigated Sammons since last fall, detailing how the judge levied fees against the wrongfully accused for lawyers they did not use, ordered children removed from their homes without authority, barred people from coming into court and then ordered them arrested for failing to appear, and began charging people a fee for drug testing that had not been authorized by any government body as required by law.

PAST COVERAGE:

Prosecutor: Cases against Campbell judge will go to grand jury in August (July 6, 2016)

Judge: Testimony flip-flop by Campbell judge doesn’t rate ethics complaint (June 10, 2016)

Attorney disputes Campbell County judge’s testimony (June 3, 2016)

Officials: Campbell judge charging for drug tests without authority (March 23, 2016)

Campbell judge under probe by state judicial board (March 16, 2016)

Defendants barred from entering court arrested for being late, records show (March 7, 2016)

Jailers fire back at Campbell judge’s denial of order to change charge (March 7, 2016)

Special prosecutor sought for criminal probe of Campbell County judge (Feb. 26, 2016)

Campbell County judge refuses to drop charge against innocent woman (Feb. 8, 2016)

DCS: Campbell judge took children from their homes without legal grounds (Jan. 30, 2016)

Judge confirms complaint against fellow Campbell County jurist (Jan. 30, 2016)

Records show Campbell County judge upped charge, altered record (Jan. 29, 2016)

Campbell County judge’s fee order struck down (Jan. 13, 2016)

Campbell County judge charging fee to the poor for legal services they didn't receive (Nov. 24, 2015)

Campbell County judge becomes defendant for failing to sign order (Oct. 20, 2015)