Public Defender Investigator Gets Bitch Slapped On The River

We welcome you to Cocke County Tennessee where your natural adventure is waiting!
Nestled in the shadows of the majestic mountains, Cocke County is full of hidden treasures - all waiting to be discovered!

I'm not 100% sure about the pronunciation, but just the name alone is enough to get my two year-old mind giggling for a minute. It's funny, until you realize that there is more to the news story I just finished reading than just the name.

The player's involved?

The Cocke County Public Defender and (ahem) a Public Defender Investigator.

Apparently, an Investigator with the Cocke County Public Defenders Office has been indicted as part of an undercover probe into illegal gambling in Cocke County!

William Glen Almany and Jason Grooms were among five Cocke County residents who had been arrested as of Thursday afternoon, and more arrests were pending, said 4th Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn.

The indictments stemmed from “an intense undercover operation” by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation into the Sportsman’s Club, also known as the Sportsman’s Cafe, on West Broadway in Newport, Dunn said.

The club was housed in an old bank building and allegedly operated as a “mini-casino,” complete with several poker tables, dealers and Texas Hold’em tournaments, according to Dunn.

Almany, an investigator for the Public Defender’s Office, was charged with four counts of aggravated gambling promotion, a felony, for allegedly operating the club along with his brother, Lee Emory Almany, Dunn said.

What can I say? I'm hoping that justice is served but I'm also hoping the charges don't involve any serious time for any of the future gambling moguls. I'm personally a big fan of gambling and just GUESSING that in the scheme of things going on in Cocke County, gambling is not at the top of most serious and pressing issues affecting the region BUT of course I'm just an outsider.