Court rules TWRA violated rights of Benton County landowners

BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. — A Benton County Circuit Court has ruled in favor of two local landowners.

According to a news release, Terry Rainwaters and Hunter Hollingsworth sued the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

According to court documents, the two claim that TWRA officers ignored signs that the land was owned and entered the area to “search for wildlife violations without a warrant or consent,” the court documents say.

Court documents say that a TWRA agent entered Rainwaters’ land in 2016 and 2017, and entered Hollingsworth’s land sometime before September 1, 2016, and in 2017 and 2018.

Court records say that photos and video were taken without consent.

The release says that the Circuit Court found that the searches violated the Tennessee Constitution.

“It’s a great relief to have the court recognize that searching my property without permission and without a warrant was unconstitutional,” said Terry Rainwaters. “It’s even better to hear that the court doesn’t believe anyone else in Tennessee should have their rights violated in the same way. I’m going to sleep a little better tonight knowing that state officials have to respect my property rights.”

Find more local news here.