DA’s shutdown of public records on Gatlinburg fire goes too far
On Dec. 15, the district attorney for Sevier County issued a remarkable letter. In the most horrific disaster to ever afflict Gatlinburg, a firestorm on Nov. 28 swept into the city, killed 14 people, caused 191 injuries, and amid harrowing escapes to safety, damaged or destroyed 2,400 structures. Insurance claims have neared $1 billion. A woman looks over the rubble of her home in Gatlinburg on Dec. 3 (Source: Knoxville News Sentinel) But how government responded to the emergency — or in fact anything related to the Gatlinburg fire and the aftermath — is, in Sevier County District Attorney Jimmy Dunn’s opinion, part of a criminal investigation into [...]