Knoxville prosecutor opposes pre-arrest notification
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Knox County district attorney’s office opposes notifying anyone before arrests are made in an investigation. Phone records show Knoxville police called Tennessee football coach Butch Jones during a rape investigation involving former Volunteers A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams.
Assistant District Attorney General Sean McDermott didn’t comment specifically on this case but said disclosure of “sensitive information” that doesn’t advance the investigation before arrests are made “potentially could violate state law regarding the misuse of official information.”
The Tennessean first reported McDermott’s comment.
Phone records show Jones received calls from David Rausch and Sam Brown of the Knoxville Police Department on Nov. 16, 2014.
Johnson and Williams were suspended from the team Nov. 17, 2014. They were indicted February 2015 and have separate trial dates this summer.
