Warmer weather is on the way, and in Sylvan Park that means more joggers, bikers, and kids playing outside. Residents say the warmer weather also brought a pack of wild dogs that has been on the loose for weeks.
Kris Egan is a professional dog walker who lives in Sylvan Park. Egan has seen the pack and she said they can be vicious.
“It’s a pack of five of them. There’s an Akita and two shepherds and a Lab with a broken back leg. They bit a girl up the street, and last week, a jogger. They attack people on bikes all the time.”
Her dog walking partner, Michelle Resch, has 3 slobbering and friendly Bull Dogs on leashes. Resch is equally passionate about the need to capture the pack.
“They attacked and killed a Chihuahua and some cats. And we are afraid it will be a child in a stroller or on a scooter next,” Resch said.
“We call animal control over and over and over,” Egan quickly interjected. “We are trying to get signs on the greenway, and we have called and got barely any response.”
“We have talked to the captain of the Parks Police, and we have talked to the head of animal control,” Resch joined in. “We have complained to councilman.”
Messed Up asked why this is so concerning.
“These dogs are not kind dogs,” Resch said. “They operate like a pack. We haven’t run into them with our dogs, knock on wood. That Chihuahua, they shredded that dog in a lady’s yard. It was tied up, and on a cable, and they killed it her yard.”
Andy spent a great deal of time on the phone with Metro authorities.
Billy Biggs with Metro Animal Control told me he is authorized to tranquilize the animals, but he has to be accompanied by a vet who has limited hours. Unfortunately for everyone, the dogs have their own schedule.
“We’ve been out there every time they call,” Biggs said. “We can’t catch all of them. We are waiting for an opportunity. I have to take the vet with me to tranquilize,” Biggs said with a sense of frustration in his voice.
The women want to put up signs on the Greenway. Biggs is in favor of that.
Andy also spoke at length with Captain Rich Foley. He is a Metro Police officer who is working with the Parks Department.
“We can’t go shooting dogs unless there is imminent threat. This falls under the same legal justification of shooting a person. To discharge a firearm, it must be in defense of yourself or another,” Foley said.
The Captain repeatedly told Messed Up that this issue is very concerning to him and the department. He sounded frustrated that capturing 5 to 8 dogs has been so difficult.
“It is frustrating not to be able to catch the dogs,” he said. “We are handicapped; we don’t have training or equipment to deal with dogs in this capacity. We refer this to animal control. But with that said, we are here when they have issues with the dogs. If you are in immediate need, definitely call the police. We are concerned. We need these dogs collected. Honestly, I am very concerned, and concerned about getting these dogs.”
Metro has put out at least one trap, which Egan says is not effective at all.
She showed Andy the trap, and it was sprung. Egan said birds routinely spring the trap, so dogs couldn’t get in even if they wanted to. Egan also said she is the only one who ever puts food in the bowl.
If you see the dogs, be cautious and call authorities immediately.
615-880-3429 should ring right into the park police office.
It’s been 8 months since a Nashville family spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their kitchen with brand new stainless steel appliances. They bought from a locally owned and well respected appliance store. The fridge, microwave, and dishwasher all work great. But Sherri Hite said the oven has been nothing but trouble.
In July 2009, the elementary school secretary and her husband spend $3,700 dollars for all new appliances.
All the appliances work, except the oven.
“The oven came in,” Hite told Andy from her kitchen. “They put it in, and it didn’t work. Nothing came on: no lights, nothing. So they took it back to the shop. It took a week, then they came back, put it in, and nothing cames on. So they took it back again and had to order a board for it. Actually, two boards for it. They called and said the new the boards were in and they had rewired it. They said they would it back out and I said no! I said I don’t want boards and rewired ovens. I want a new oven, out of the box, working on the first day. I am not taking the one rigged by you all.”
Hite said months went by, and her family made numerous phone calls to D.T. McCall and Sons, where they had successfully bought many items in the past. Hite said her family also called the manufacturer, Frigidaire, many times to try to correct the problem.
Finally Mrs. Hite called That is Messed Up.
“I needed help,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Nobody would call us back. We were getting the run around. A friend said to call Andy Cordan.”
Andy immediately called the company and talked with a friendly salesman.
By the next morning, Andy was on the phone with company president, AJ McCall, who heads up a local furniture, electronics, central heat and air, and lawn and garden company that has been serving middle Tennessee for 100 years.
“I spoke with Mr. Hite,” the friendly executive said in the News 2 studio. “I was not aware of the service issues till yesterday, and we immediately contacted the manufacturer. They are sending the new oven out, a 27 inch oven. If I knew sooner, I probably could have had it taken care of sooner. That is my fault. I’m in charge. We contacted a representative of the Electrolux Corporation and they are shipping us a new oven for the Hites. I apologize it has taken so long, but didn’t know about the problem till now.”
The businessman said he would like the Hites to continue shopping in his stores.
“If you have an unresolved issue, it is the worst thing a business can have. You can lose a customer without knowing you did. That is the worst scenario you can have in business.”
Mrs. Hite said she would consider shopping at McCall and Sons again, but she is not sure her husband will.
This is messed up. My sister got a vrizon phone set up an account month to month. She called me today very upset because she was had money already in her account to pay for 450 minutes on the 11th of march. she checked her minutes she only had a few left she tried calling verizon to see why and kept getting put on hold so she gave me all of her information for me to call she does not have a land line. I called and was told by 2 people the second one being a supervisor that she had no text message service and one text was sent and it cost her 20 cents so when it was time for her monthly payment to come out she was 20 cent short so instead of letting her know that she didnt have 450 minutes to use they started charging her .45 cents a minute and what was for her montly bill went to cover minutes that she thought was paid for already. I dont care how you look at it it isnt fair to do someone like that. They could have told her that texting was extra and that they could block it if she wanted to but they didnt. This probably isnt something you woukld think is important but my sister doesnt have much money and needs a way to call someone if she needs help and I sure Verizon doesnt care that they have caused her to be very upset over 20 cents.
More trouble for a Nashville Realty Company that has recently been in the news:
In the wake of a Messed Up investigation, Metro Public Works, Codes, and the Metro Health Department are all taking action against Barrett Realty Company.
The latest complaints center around city owned trash cans at 3 Barrett Properties. These trash cans are full of construction grade material, some of which has spilled into a nearby culvert.
Metro officials say it is not the city’s job to pick up these trash containers at the expense of tax payers.
Mike Brandle has lived on Barrett Drive for 10 years. The house next to Brandle’s is a Barrett run property. Brandle told us this property is currently empty and being renovated.
On the day Messed Up arrived in this South Nashville neighborhood, it was trash day, and garbage cans lined the street. The 3 cans in front of the Barrett owned property at 412 Barrett Drive were over flowing with what appears to be roofing material.
Brandle said these garbage cans are out here all the time, and that these cans have been over flowing with construction material like this for weeks.
We drove around the neighborhood to look at other Barrett properties. We found trash cans filled with similar construction grade material, and, at one location, the cans were turned over and in the culvert.
We returned to the neighborhood hours later. The city garbage trucks had rolled through, and most of the cans had been removed from the street. The cans next to Mr. Brandle’s home were still at the curb, however the roofing material was gone, replaced with contractor grade trash bags.
We spoke with Billy Lynch who heads up the Metro Public Works Department. He said Barrett’s use of the city owned trash cans is a clear violation.
According to Lynch, city haulers should not pick up debris like this because it is against the following code:
10.20.290 Building debris–Responsibility for removal.
A. Building debris such as scrap lumber, plaster, roofing, concrete, brickbats, and sanding dust resulting from the construction, repair, remodeling or demolition of any building or appurtenances on private property will not be removed by the department of public works, and the owner must cause such materials and waste to be privately moved.
Lynch said the construction material exceeds the weight limitations for a 96 gallon container. He also said the haulers removed the Barrett cans because citizens complained about the way they looked. Lynch said the company is abusing the city service, and that his agency picked up all the city owned garbage receptacles at the 3 Barrett addresses we visited. Lynch also said Public Works mailed a letter of violation for each address to the realty company.
Metro Codes also confirmed it has an active investigation on the three Barrett properties. Metro Health has issued the company a notice to clean up the spilled trash at 408 Wimpole.
Once again, Messed Up went to Barrett Realty on Murfreesboro Road for a reaction. A man in the office told Messed Up to leave or the police would be called. We exited, unable to obtain a statement from the company regarding the recent developments.
As you may recall, Barrett Realty is the same company Messed Up investigated in a story earlier this month. At that time, new renters said Barrett Realty moved the previous tenant’s belongings to the front lawn for the city to pick up. After Messed Up got involved the city cited the agency, and Barrett Realty removed the furniture.
We have a new development for those of you who have been following our gun story about Leonard Embody.
The state suspended Embody’s handgun carry permit on March 10th, 2010. This suspension was a response to a complaint from the Belle Meade Police department alleging that Embody “poses a material likelihood of risk to the public.”
According to a letter sent from the Department of Saftey,
“Mr. Embody must surrender his permit to the Department of Safety within ten (10) days of the notice, dated March 10, 2010.
It is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one (1) year in jail for the permit holder to knowingly fail or refuse to surrender the permit to the department within the ten (10) day period. He has thirty (30) days from the date of the notice to either petition the General Sessions Court in his county of residence for judicial review or make a written request for a departmental hearing regarding the suspension of the handgun permit.”
Messed Up asked Embody how he felt about these actions. This is his response:
“I have done nothing wrong. It appears this is an attempt by the Belle Meade Police to retaliate against me. Open carry is legal in Tennessee see Attorney General Opinion 05-154. I fully complied with Belle Meade City ordinance 11-602 which requires I open carry an army or navy handgun openly in my hand. I fully complied with any applicable State Laws including TCA 39-17-1314(a) which allows cities with laws or regulations concerning firearms which were in effect before April 8, 1986 to be exempted from any State preemption. I’ve not been charged with a crime, and have not committed a crime, nor have I been arrested.”
Belle Meade Officer Thomas Sexton stated in a letter to the TNDPS that Embody is a risk to the public for the following reasons: Embody (1) carried a weapon in Belle Meade, (2) carried it in an unsafe manner, (3) carried it in an unsafe location, and (4) carried it in an unsafe condition.
Here is that letter:
When we asked Embody whether or not he plans to fight the suspension, he responded:
“Yes, I will fight this and will add it to the list of reasons for a federal lawsuit against the city of Belle Meade. The ommision in their letter to the department of safety of the Belle Meade ordinance and of any detail concerning the unsafe manner in which they say I carried the pistol are telling. The Department of Safety suspended my permit w/o due process on the word of a police officer who didn’t detail why my permit should be revoked.”
How many registered sex offenders can live in one single family house? That depends.
According to the Metro Codes Department, if more than three unrelated adults live together, that is a codes violation, unless they have another certification that specifically addresses the use of the residence.
A Messed Up tipster recently went to the TBI sex offender registry and looked up Rayon Drive in Old Hickory. The tipster reported being surprised that eight registered sex offenders are all listed as living at one address.
Messed Up investigated by going to the house. Someone was inside, but nobody would answer the door when we knocked.
There was a van in the driveway with a decal indicating that this was a group home run by the Aphesis House, an agency that works with men who have addictions or who have recently been released from prison.
Messed Up calls Assistant Codes Director Bill Penn. He said the house is not registered with the city for such use.
Brendon Green lives across the street from the residence. The 31-year-old takes care of his grandparents and a younger sister. He told Messed Up the men have a right to rehabilitate somewhere, but he also questions having eight convicted sex offenders all living together in one place in a neighborhood filled with children.
“It’s sick,” the roofer said while smoking a cigarette on his front lawn, “and the state shouldn’t put them here. I had a baby sister and I ran one guy out of my driveway with a shotgun one night. He’d come out of the middle window and slip out.”
Green said that was approximately a year ago. Recently, he said these men have caused no trouble in the neighborhood.
“It is not right,” he added. “Too many children are here. I had to tell two kids, standing there [in front of the house]. I didn’t know the kids, and I felt strange walking up to them, but I said you need to stay away from that house there. I explained to them they are bad men and have done bad things.”
District 11 Councilman Darren Jernigan represents Old Hickory.
Jernigan was very concerned by the news when Messed Up contacted him.
“I was taken back when you told me we had eight sex offenders under one roof. I did some research. That property it is zoned commercial. I checked the occupancy use, and it is a Single Family Home. I called codes and turned them in for having too many unrelated people under one roof. That is a violation.”
Jernigan said the city codes department has little power to enforce this issue and he is looking to Capitol Hill for a new law.
“If it is a half way house, they can get a permit, and by state law we cannot prevent that because it is commercial. It is troubling. I am a father of four, I know what it means, kids walking down the street, so if you have eight individuals, under one roof, it is a breeding ground, they all have something in common, they can all get together and plan and do whatever. I am not against half way houses, but I am against where they should be, they should be better regulated how they are run.”
Jernigan said he has contacted Representative Mike Turner to try and get a law passed, but he was told that the issue will have to wait till next session.
In the meantime, Messed Up called the home owner who rents the property to the Aphesis House.
The owner says he didn’t realize that he had to be certified by the city to run a group home.
James Settles runs the Aphesis House.
By phone he told Messed Up, “If I’m guilty of something, it is trying to help people transition from one part of their life to the next. These guys are addicted to drugs and alcohol. There is an 8 p.m. curfew. They have to work a job. They have quiet reflective time every night. I can guarantee, they don’t stand on the front porch or congregate. The program is disciplined. They have relapse prevention and life skills to help them be the best they can be. They are there 90-days to six months. The goal is to transition one phase to the next in their life.”
Settles told Messed Up he is licensed by the state to run the program and he has all ready begun the process to be certified with the city.
Bill Penn at the Codes Department confirmed this, telling Messed Up that the city has given Settles 30 days to comply. To do so means he will need to apply for a permit and then request the fire marshal inspect the property. If that passes then it is merely a formality to get the use and occupancy permit issued.
They say possession is nine-tenth of the law. They also say “Finder’s Keepers, Losers Weepers.”
Both sayings are accurate in this story.
On one end, you have two sisters more than a 100-years-old seeking to reclaim priceless family heirlooms.
On the other end of the story you have an amateur genealogist who owns the Perry County house where the women were born, who now has possession of the artifacts the older women want back.
Lily Thomas Boyd is 103. Her little sister, Juanita Thomas, is 101.
The centenarians now live in north Nashville, in a home that is full of photographs and history.
Of 11 children born to George and Florence Thomas, only Lily and Juanita are still alive.
The family was born and raised in Linden, Tennessee.
Over the years, family members moved away. Some became teachers. Others became politicians.
In the meantime, county records indicate that Rachel Szuliman bought the family homestead.
By phone, Szuliman told Messed Up the house was a disaster, abandoned for decades and left open to transients.
Szuliman and her husband restored the house to pristine condition.
In doing so they encountered artifacts belonging to the Thomas family.
She found church records from the 1890’s and slave records from the 1860’s. She found a biographical sketch written by the women’s father, George Thomas, in 1867. Szuliman also found a bible that Lily and Juanita say is more than 125 years old and has great sentimental value to the family.
Szuliman is blunt when she discusses the matter.
Much more on that in a moment, but in a nutshell Szuliman says she has given the sisters several items and made others available to them online or at her home.
Szuliman questions why the women and or their family never came to look for these priceless possessions in all the years the house was there, prior to her taking possession.
Back to the sisters — The tiny women, a combined 204 years of age, easily fit on the small sofa. They begin to reminisce and explain what the items and family mean to them.
Though younger by two years, Juanita is not as verbal and allows Lily to do most of the talking.
The former minister’s wife has a remarkably vivid memory.
When I ask her how old she is she smiles, saying, “I am very young. I will be 104 years old in three weeks.”
I laugh and listen to the super-senior who tells me she was born on March 30, 1906 at 2 a.m. in the morning in Linden, Tennessee.
“There are different things we treasured, that got misplaced somehow when we left Linden,” Lily says.
Before I can ask her another question, Lily launches into another story, this one about her grandfather with the bright blue eyes.
“My father’s father was Dr. Cole,” she said. “He was doctor for the king in England. When he didn’t bow to the king, he had to slip out [of the country] and come to America. That was 1842.”
I try and ask her what the letters and bible mean to her.
“I would treasure them forever and pass them on down,” she said. “They would be passed on down through the Thomas family.”
I ask how old the bible is.
“It’s at least from 1842,” she said. “I’m not sure how old before then.”
Lily tells me that her mother, Florence, was a church worker and in the 1920’s she organized women to vote.
“My mom got them together in Perry County and carried them to the polls to vote,” she said with great assurance.
“My older brother was a lawyer. He was a great politician. He didn’t miss any conventions. He was a Republican. In my family we had many, many ancestors in the Civil War.”
I try and get her back on track about the heirlooms she would like returned.
“I am just shocked at the woman. Anytime we went to Linden we stopped by, she gave us a few things, but not everything.”
“What would you say to her right now?” I ask.
Her eyes brighten and she leans forward on the couch. “If I could talk to her, what would I say? I am shocked and surprised you had these things, belonging to my great ancestors on my dad’s side and to keep that bible, and it is treasured in our family all through the years. To think you kept it all these years I am shocked. She should give it to me. I think she is a good Christian woman, and why she is keeping it I don’t know, and it hurts me and she won’t give it to the family. It doesn’t mean anything to her whatsoever.”
“What does it mean to you?” I ask.
“It means everything to us. It is history and carries us back through life and up to the present. I can’t express how much it would mean. I couldn’t express that in words what it would mean to pass it on down.”
Like every story, there are two sides. There are two sides to this story as well.
I speak with Mrs. Szuliman by phone for a long time. She is candid in her remarks when I tell her what Lily and Juanita have to say.
On March 5, 2010 Szuliman tells me the following:
“It [the items] had been in the house for 30 years. I worked and went through all the trash. The house was abandoned. The floors had collapsed. The front door wouldn’t close. Neighbors report people coming in and going out. There were vagrants that came and went and took things for 30 years. I am not willing to go through the whole process and give them back the things they could have gotten themselves. I bought the house 10 years ago. [County records show the house was purchased in 1993.] What was in the house was exposed to anyone who wanted anything for 30 years prior to that. Now they want it back.”
When I ask her why they want it back now, Szuliman says, “Why? Because they found out it was there. They had been searching for the bible for years and never looked for it.”
“Were they too lazy to look through the trash?”
“The house was in total disrepair. The city wanted to condemn the house. It is a piece of history for the neighborhood. We fought for [the house.] My husband worked on the house. He was out there building homes in the area, two weeks after heart surgery. The windows were knocked out, the floor collapsed. It was so full of trash, you wouldn’t believe it.”
“After we worked on it, we had to jack the rooms up. We had to jack them up. We are old house-people. These are part of the history of Perry County.”
I tell her how important the documents seem to be to the women.
Szuliman replies, “I wanted to save the important documents of the family. I am not willing to give them to any one person. I want them shared with the whole family, which is why I put them on the Internet.”
She continued, “If I give them to one person, guess what, they won’t share them. The people pushing for this won’t share. There are several grand children. The one wanting this won’t tell the others about their heritage.”
Szuliman tells me that Lily is the one pushing this.
“I live in her uncle’s house. We re-did it. We wanted the family to come back and feel at home. I’m now on the outs with them.”
“After I did all this work, and now they have this attitude. I rescued them. The city wanted to burn this house. They burned the house two doors up.”
I ask her if the material is valuable.
“I don’t think so,” she replies. “I think they just wanted to know where it was. If a building sits for 30 years and nobody looks for the family bible in all that time, what does that tell you? It tells you they are too lazy. They want someone else to look through the trash and reap the benefits. It doesn’t work that way. This house was open 30 years. We bought it, and it was so bad we couldn’t tell there was a house. It was so overgrown in front, took four months to get through and dig it out.
“How did you find the artifacts?” I ask.
“By working and by luck,” she says. “I went through everything. I threw away garbage. I saved what was savable. They are giving me a terrible struggle on this and I think, where are they coming from?
“I bought it 10 years ago. It sat for 30 years before that. Why didn’t they go through and look in all that time? I think they want something for nothing. That is my opinion. They are happy they found it, now they think they can claim it. They cannot. They can’t say that is mine. Maybe they will take part of the foundation of the house. I am willing to share with the family. They can come to my house, anyone or everyone, but if they want to take it with them, well that is not the way I work. [The house] was condemned. All these documents would have been burned without me. They don’t appreciate that. They just want their hands on it.”
A conservator for the sisters says that the law is on Szuliman’s side since she legally purchased the house and all the contents inside.
The wall at the Nashville National Cemetery is finally being repaired after it was destroyed in two separate auto wrecks in the summer of 2009.
Kim Mahone’s grandparents are buried in a grave site next to the wall. She felt that the garbage, debris, rock and crime tape left at the crash site were disrespectful to her grandparent’s memory.
Mahone called Messed Up and we called the cemetery’s director, Paul Martin, who agreed.
The problem was allocation of funds to do the job.
We stayed on the issue and as of Tuesday, March 9, 2010, it looks like there is resolution.
Martin said work crews started fixing the wall, and it should be done by the end of the month.
“Of course we care about what happens in the cemetery and how it affects the next of kin of our soldiers,” Martin told Messed Up by phone.
He added, “We know the entire wall needs to be replaced but we wanted to fix this section first.”
“We hope everyone is satisfied with what we are doing, and this will resolve the issue. We apologize for the length of time it has taken to get there, but now, we hope all are pleased.”
Martin told Messed Up the rest of the cemetery wall will be fixed in 2011.
In January the Tennant family of Culleoka, TN were faced with an unimaginable tragedy: the loss of their beloved wife and mother when a tree fell on their mobile home, crushing her in her sleep. The insurance company has refused to pay for the totaled home, stating that the freezing rain on the trees was not a “storm related” cause of it falling. The family is now without a mother, wife, and somewhere to call home! The citizens of Culleoka plead for your help to help this family and an explanation why an insurance company, when they are needed the most, are not holding up their end of the bargain! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Feel free to contact me as I was one of the firefighters there that night working to free the victim from the home.
Sincerely,
A Devoted Viewer
There are 2 huge missing sections of roads (sinkholes rather than potholes) on the Ellington North ramp leaving downtown via James Robertson Blvd. I travel this way frequently and my car has hit this section of missing road twice now.
My car alignment is all thrown out of whack, the car vibrates when i drive and it feels like the wheels shake under the weight of the car. Something has been damaged and the car didn’t have alignment problems before 2 weeks ago, when, 4 days apart, I hit this godforsaken car-destroyer.
My car drives like crap and I believe it is the city’s responsibility to pay it. These holes are much larger than potholes- it makes driving conditions quite dangerous.
by
Lynch said the construction material exceeds the weight limitations for a 96 gallon container. He also said the haulers removed the Barrett cans because citizens complained about the way they looked. Lynch said the company is abusing the city service, and that his agency picked up all the city owned garbage receptacles at the 3 Barrett addresses we visited. Lynch also said Public Works mailed a letter of violation for each address to the realty company. 
Brendon Green lives across the street from the residence. The 31-year-old takes care of his grandparents and a younger sister. He told Messed Up the men have a right to rehabilitate somewhere, but he also questions having eight convicted sex offenders all living together in one place in a neighborhood filled with children.
Jernigan said the city codes department has little power to enforce this issue and he is looking to Capitol Hill for a new law.
Loading …
On one end, you have two sisters more than a 100-years-old seeking to reclaim priceless family heirlooms. 
“It’s at least from 1842,” she said. “I’m not sure how old before then.”
Szuliman replies, “I wanted to save the important documents of the family. I am not willing to give them to any one person. I want them shared with the whole family, which is why I put them on the Internet.”
He added, “We know the entire wall needs to be replaced but we wanted to fix this section first.”
