So Long Sherrrff (Page 1 of 3)

Most of us survive high school without any serious, lifelong damage, but the old high school mentality—the insecurity and the malice it breeds—never really leaves us, even as adults. We just find new people to talk about. Celebrities, sure, and football coaches, but elected officials are fair game, too, especially when there’s more to talk about than just job performance. In 1990, Knox County got a golden child for gossip when Tim Hutchison became Knox County Sheriff.


It would be an understatement to say Hutchison has been controversial in his 16-year tenure. He appears on the scene when there’s credit to be given and shrinks from the limelight when things start to get sticky. Undoubtedly he’s increased the size of the sheriff’s office, political power, technological capabilities, and budget—as well as its fleet of helicopters. But he’s also had no qualms about squaring off with public officials and bulldogging those who criticize him.

Yes, he busted up the Gagne crime family and arrested Thomas “Zoo Man” Huskey. He earned National Sheriff of the Year in 1998 and won five elections. But Hutchison is out now, forced from office by the Tennessee Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding the county charter and its term limits. So we’ll let someone else give the lifetime achievement award as we look at what’s really had Knox County buzzing about Hutchison.

Heli-crazy

“So, WATE has apparently succeeded in getting Sheriff Tim to finally debate [Randy] Tyree. Great news. Maybe he’ll fly in on one of his black helicopters,” wrote R. Neal on the local blog KnoxViews. Admit it—Hutchison’s very name conjures images of those helicopters.

During his reign, Knox County acquired no less than six of them. Not one or two, but six. Apparently the Department of Defense has them just lying around and giving Knox County six of them to share with Blount County—and free of charge at that—is no real loss to them. Hutchison has used the choppers to find fields of marijuana growing around the region, to assist in searches for missing persons and criminals, as well as for recently ’coptering up to Kentucky to make an arrest in the recent local double-murder. Sure, in 1990 KCSO formed a marine unit when Sea Ray donated a boat, but that pales in comparison to the six shiny whirlybirds.

While no photos support this, we like to believe Hutchison secretly flies around in the copters during his free time re-enacting scenes from Rambo, red bandana, bullet vest and all.

Politicold

Hutchison is notorious for his inaccessibility to the media. In August 1991, he and the Knoxville News Sentinel got into it good after Hutchison gave them false information regarding a large drug bust. Turns out KCSO provided the 200 pounds of pot, and one of the four that was arrested was an informant for the department. In ’94 the Sentinel ran a particularly juicy story about alleged inmate abuse right before the election, prompting Hutchison to accuse the paper of trying to sabotage his campaign. In their defense, the Sentinel said their source brought them the story at that time, and it was too big to keep till after the election. In 2002, when Metro Pulse’s Joe Tarr wrote his extensive profile of Hutchison and his career, it was months before he’d return Tarr’s requests for an interview.

In years past, Hutchison has said that he thinks the Sentinel and local television news stations are in cahoots behind closed doors, scheming of ways to railroad his career; Sentinel editor Jack McElroy scoffs at the idea. Still, Hutchison remains wary of the media and relations between the two entities stay sketchy at best. In a spirit of reconciliation, we’d like to take this opportunity to extend an olive branch.

Besides, not all the press Hutchison gets is bad—some in the media are big fans. Like The Halls Shopper’s Sandra Clark, who freely gushed about her warm feelings for Shurf Tim in this week’s issue. “ I violated my own advice with Tim Hutchison. ‘Don’t fall in love with a politician,’ I once told Scott Frith, ‘for he will surely break your heart.’ It’s still good advice, but along the way I became captivated by Hutchison. I love his swagger, his stubborn challenges to the powerful, his bold initiatives to protect and professionalize his department.” Now that’s love. A bit stalkerific, yes. But loyal and devoted all the same.