As his trial date nears, former Chattanooga auto dealership mogul Joseph Prebul has abandoned all negotiations with the government regarding the multiple fraud charges he faces.

In the middle of a contentious divorce, Red Bank Vice Mayor Monty Millard said he only wanted to correct the "bad example" his wife set for their children when she parked in the "to go" space of a local restaurant and proceeded to eat dinner inside.

Felony burglary charges were dropped today against Red Bank's vice mayor.

U.S. prosecutors in New York have indicated to a judge that Joseph Prebul has declined all their offers of a plea deal, signaling a firm indication that the former Chattanooga auto mogul is ready to stand trial on charges that he swindled his brother-in-law out of millions of dollars to help keep his businesses afloat.

A federal judge in Chattanooga on Wednesday rejected a plea for a lighter sentence from a young man accused of a crack cocaine crime, despite proposed legislation to do away with old sentencing rules that treat crimes involving crack much more harshly than those involving powder cocaine.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old to four years and three months in prison for taking nude photos of his sexual encounters with a 15-year-old.

A 23-year-old was sentenced this morning to four years and three months in a federal prison for taking nude photos during his sexual encounters with a 14-year-old that he says were the result of a consensual relationship.

Although people in the Volunteer State have filed for bankruptcy in record numbers in recent years, Tennessee is first among states for the number of residents who try to make good on their debts with court-approved payment plans.

The defense attorney for a man charged with two counts of child rape said DNA evidence influenced his decision to plead guilty Thursday before the end of his trial.

A man pleaded guilty today to two counts of child rape before the jury in his trial got the chance to deliberate.

A confident 9-year-old boy did not hesitate when asked in court Wednesday what a longtime family friend did to him one night when his mother was away.

A 9-year-old boy testified today during a child-rape case in which he is the alleged victim.

A high school student who claimed she had a consensual sexual relationship with former Baylor football coach Willie Idlette while he worked at the school was reluctant to tell authorities about the affair, prosecutors said.

A Hamilton County man will stand trial today in connection with the alleged rape of a 7-year-old boy.

Former Baylor football coach Willie Idlette pleaded guilty this morning to two counts of statutory rape.

Prosecutors are considering appealing a judge's ruling that a Hamilton County school board member is eligible for judicial diversion in the shoplifting case against her.

A hearing in November will determine whether trial testimony can be used against a mother who is accused of aggravated child neglect in connection with the death of her daughter.

A former Erlanger hospital police officer was sentenced today to 10 years in prison after being caught accessing child pornography while at work.

A Criminal Court judge ruled this morning that Hamilton County Board of Education member Janice Boydston is eligible for judicial diversion in the shoplifting case against her.

The six attorneys vying to fill the upcoming judicial vacancy on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chattanooga must have a keen sense of human nature and be ready to work hard, one veteran bankruptcy attorney said.

A pretrial conference today in the criminal case against former Chattanooga area auto dealer Joseph Prebul could influence his trial in November, but his defense attorney said there are no plans for striking a deal with the prosecution.

The U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Tennessee collected more than $12.9 million in the last fiscal year, largely as a result of its daily crackdown on regional drug trafficking and other serious federal crimes.

Perhaps more than any other fashion statement for fall, a great pair of shoes will get you noticed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that anonymous tips that alert authorities to reckless driving are sufficient to warrant detention and questioning of drivers.

As prosecutors scurry to complete plea agreements and set hearing dates for the last of the hundreds of criminal cases heard during the week, Judge Bob Moon complains that his staff is exhausted and already 10 minutes past the court’s normal noon closing time.

Piles of arrest warrants lie on the assistant district attorneys’ table at 8:30 a.m. in General Sessions Court. Defendants, witnesses and friends in the foreground of the courtroom cram themselves into the churchlike pews. People in the large hallway outside are just trying to figure out where to go.

Before 1993, criminal cases in Hamilton County were heard in both Chattanooga City Court and the county's General Sessions Court.

The civil lawsuit in which former car dealership mogul Joseph Prebul accuses his brother-in-law of extortion will remain in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the time being.

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge this morning denied a motion by former Chattanooga car dealership owner Joseph Prebul to remand a case back to state court that involves an ongoing dispute with his brother-in-law.

The defense team for Joseph Prebul said the former Chattanooga auto dealership mogul has no intention of ever pleading guilty to allegations that he swindled his brother-in-law out of millions of dollars.

The federal criminal trial for Joseph Prebul has been postponed until Dec. 7 with documents indicating that he could be close to striking a deal with prosecutors.

Former Baylor football coach Willie Idlette is headed toward trial on Oct. 27 for statutory rape, but his defense attorney said Monday that they are hoping for judicial diversion.

Former Baylor football coach Willie Idlette is headed toward trial for statutory rape on Oct. 27, but his defense attorney said Monday that they are hoping for judicial diversion.

A preliminary court hearing on a fire-bombing case that allegedly stemmed from a gang feud is expected to take place in November.

A preliminary court hearing on a fire bombing case that allegedly stemmed from a gang feud is expected to take place in November.

A jury took just 12 minutes Wednesday to find the former manager of the last remaining Pruetts grocery store not guilty of stealing thousands of dollars while on the job.

The owner of the area's last remaining Pruetts grocery store said he was "shocked" when he discovered his longtime manager might have stolen thousands of dollars while on the job.

A jury is expected to begin deliberating this afternoon in the case of a man accused of stealing more than $160,000 from Pruett Food Town on Signal Mountain.

A jury trial often is considered the most relevant of all court proceedings, at least by pop culture standards.

The continuing legal struggle between an injured young woman and the doctor who, according to a jury, helped cause her brain damage is headed for mediation, even after a jury awarded her millions of dollars.

A woman accused of trying to kill her ex-husband at his chiropractic office on Signal Mountain entered no plea today in court.

A Hamilton County jury has awarded $1.4 million to a widow after finding that asbestos-containing products made by a Delaware-based company contributed to her late husband’s rare form of cancer.

A man who police said confessed from his hospital bed to killing his wife -- a statement made while he was recovering from a suicide attempt -- will not be able to keep the statement from a jury.

Many people summoned to jury duty still don't show up for service months after a state law was enacted that no longer recognizes the classic excuses and allows for stiff fines and even the arrests of those who do not comply.

Prosecutors are thanking good police work and a suspicious neighbor for their ability to gain a conviction in a high-profile rape and home invasion.

A Hamilton County Criminal Court jury this afternoon convicted defendant Tracy Roberson of aggravated burglary, two counts of rape and other charges in the Aug. 6, 2008, break-in of a Chattanooga home.

Jurors began deliberating today in the case of a man accused of invading a Chattanooga home last summer and raping the house-sitter.

The cousin of a man accused of invading a home last summer and raping the house-sitter testified Wednesday that he shared information that might have led to the attack.

An array of evidence was presented by investigators today in the trial of a Chattanooga man charged with robbing a Heritage Landing home and raping a house-sitter there.

The terrified 19-year-old had trouble talking to the 911 dispatcher because her hands still were bound behind her back with duct tape.