A couple of years ago, Tennessee Circuit Court Judge John Hagler made a very foolish mistake: he decided to put his torture fantasies on tape. He's now resigned, but a major mystery remains: who ratted him out to the media?
This torturous tale took two years to be outed. His just-fired secretary originally found the tape and turned it over to law enforcement. She claimed she thought it was real. (She apparently was not a graduate of the Rosemary Woods school of secretaries--and oh, no, she wasn't angry about getting fired, just being a good citizen.)
At one point, officials wondered if the tape was linked to the murder of priest Marty Davis. Hagler, however, was cleared of any suspicions.
Then how did the tape suddenly surface? It seems that Hagler had recently ruled against the Bradley County Sheriff's Department in a bitter lawsuit that sought more money for raises, personnel and other expenses.
The Bradley County Bar Association now has asked for an investigation of how the tape was released--and why. And, on the prurient interest beat, the Chattanooga Times Free Press is leading a media charge to get the tape released, citing "freedom of information."
