D.D. 05/26/05

The buzz this morning at the State Capitol is the arrest of at least several legislators. State Representative Stacey Campfield has a brief blurb on his blog and Bill Hobbs and B4B are both reporting that they have sources that indicate some at least one Senator and one Representative have been arrested.

Update: The Nashville City Paper reports two names: Representative Chris Newton and Senator Ward Crutchfield, both from the Chattanooga area. More: Brittney Gilbert: "Four Tennessee legislators have been arrested by the TBI: Memphis Representative Kathryn Bowers (D), Memphis Congressman John Ford (D), Cleveland Representative Chris Newton (R) and state Senator Ward Crutchfield of Chattanooga (D)."

Second Round: Those arrested cosponsored HB0037, which would have allowed surplus computer supplies to out of state contractors. The bill, according to the Tennessean was pushed by Charles Love, a member of the Hamilton Co (Chattanooga) School Board, but was not a registered lobbyists. According to some TV station reports, Love was also arrested along with former legislator Roscoe Dixon, who recently resigned to fill an opening on Shelby County Mayor AC Warton's staff [Corrected]. Campfield rumors that the Memphis Mayor himself may have gone down. Kathryn Bowers was reportedly taken to Vanderbilt Hospital following her arrest. The City Paper report now says the legislators will be charged under the federal Hobbs Act, which covers extortion by public officials.