Sheriff Jones Grills Medical Examiner then 'facebooks it' --does it influence the jury pool?

Sheriff Tommy Jones was in a 'meltdown mode' since the grand jury indictments were announced naming several MCSD staff members on 9/3/2025 over the homicide of Pastor Lester Isbill. 

It is not in a local sheriff's official capacity to call and lodge a litany of questions to a medical examiner-as shown on several news sites.

The legal proceeding has now become "tainted" and the entire process has been compromised.

In the United States, there have been documented instances where law enforcement agencies or individual officers have been accused of influencing or interfering with homicide investigations. These cases often involve police misconduct, corruption, or a deliberate effort to protect officers from prosecution.

"The administration of justice is sacred" the legal and judicial systems are not just a set of rules, but something to be revered and protected. Posting intimate details in several news outlets of a private conversation he had with the Medical Examiner...? It may be the biggest blunder of his career--In Tennessee, a public official who overtly tries to influence a jury pool could face a combination of criminal charges and other legal penalties. 

This WBIR link  details the Q and A, but bear in mind it is a transcription, which can be be slanted and falsified--not an audio recording. You can bet that if it really did happen Jones and his handlers made an audio recording of the alleged conversation. ...It starts with "During a recent phone call I had with Dr. Suzuki, the pathologist who performed Mr. Isbill’s autopsy, from the Regional Forensic Center in Knox County.

Official Misconduct: This is a serious charge specifically for public servants. Under Tennessee Code Ann. § 39-16-402, a public servant commits this offense if, with intent to gain a benefit or harm another, they intentionally or knowingly:

• Commit an act related to their office that is an unauthorized exercise of official power.

• Commit an act under color of office that exceeds their official power.

• Penalty: This is a Class E felony. A conviction can also lead to the official being removed from office and disqualified from holding any office in the state in the future.

A Coroner's determination is not a criminal verdict--police officers can and do ask questions and present evidence to a coroner, they cannot legally compel a coroner to change their finding. The coroner's decision is based on their own medical and investigative findings, which may include an autopsy.

Not a Mensa member

A sheriff should not "grill" a forensic investigator because the sheriff's role is administrative, not investigative. A forensic investigator's job is to provide objective scientific analysis, and their findings are used by prosecutors to build a case. 

If anyone is going to question the forensic investigator, it would be a prosecutor or a defense attorney in a court of law—not a sheriff. This is to ensure the integrity of the evidence and the legal process.This happens under oath in court. The defense attorney then has a chance to cross-examine the investigator.

The core of the issue is the potential for prejudicial publicity. When a high-ranking public official like a sheriff makes public statements about an ongoing investigation, it can:

• Taint the jury pool: Potential jurors may form an opinion on the case based on the sheriff's public statements, making it difficult to seat an unbiased jury.

• Influence witnesses: Witnesses, including the coroner, might feel pressured to align their testimony with the narrative presented by the sheriff.

• Create a perception of guilt or innocence: Public officials can unintentionally or intentionally create a public perception before a defendant is even formally charged or convicted.

• Law enforcement agencies, including a sheriff's office, typically have policies governing public statements about ongoing investigations. These policies are designed to balance the public's right to information with the defendant's right to a fair trial. A sheriff's public statements should be limited to factual, non-prejudicial information.

 

Pastor Isbill Needed Medical Attention: Officer Finger 'Flipped him the Bird'

Update: 9/4/2025 Grand Jury Indictments unsealed--Several MCSD employees named--charges include criminal negligent homicide and false reporting. More on WBIR. 

Never before seen--Tommy is seemingly waging a debate on Facebook with the Forensic Pathologist and the District Attorney...Friends advise him to cease-and-desist, it may lead to another charge.

Former head of detectives Travis Jones on MSNBC video cited lack of training for MCSD bungling the McClancy death investigation.

Back-to-back scandals for MCSD Sheriff Tommy Jones. Will he resign or keep his hat in the ring for a fourth term in 2026?

The death of Pastor Lester Isbill and the Alijah Kensinger Missing Child Alert both cases have elements of a 'cover up'...but all are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

 

Pastor Lester Isbill Death Now a Homicide

District Attorney Stephen Hatchett, who represents the state’s Tenth Judicial District, said he plans to take action soon, saying: “I believe this updated autopsy is a more accurate finding based upon all of the known facts, and I intend to present the entire file to the Grand Jury for their consideration.”

MCSD Deputy Jason Fillyaw 'Tommy's Waterboy' played key role in the Missing Child Alert Scandal

Archived news-clip page shows MCSD Jason Fillyaw was the chief propagandist  in the Alijah Kensinger Missing Child Alert.

A propagandist is an individual who holds a prominent role in directing, orchestrating, and crafting messages designed to influence public opinion and behavior.

* Alijah was found around 7:30 PM the evening of the search, according to a witness that lives near where he was staying with his grandmother. If so, the search lasted about 3 hours not 19 hours--who benefited by faking the search late into the next morning...? and were state and federal laws violated...look up the penalties/offenses for transmitting false information during an emergency.

 A gathered crowd of close to 200 people stayed put at the Coker Creek School over-night: which included news media and local residents--it was an all-night vigil eagerly waiting for news on the missing child alert--overnight temps were in the F-30's.

Alijah's mother who flew in on red-eye flight from Colorado the following morning spoke to reporter Kyle Grainger and other reporters...the mother was in shock thinking her boy may have been killed by a bear or other predators--but who knew and who is responsible for the torment caused on Alijah's relatives not knowing the child had been found the previous night--where was Alijah kept overnight, how many people knew...?

Eric, the owner of Fine Communications, revealed on June 7th that Alijah was found on the night the search began, not 19 hours later--since then, several high-profile witnesses have affirmed that the news story was manipulated for political reasons.

EMS Director Randy White was running for sheriff against the incumbent Tommy Jones--All standard protocol was violated so Randy White would not be in the spotlight of the event.

Several federal and state laws were violated in what became known as a 2 day 'theater of the absurd' -- this and the recent death of Pastor Lester Isbill will likely have a significant impact on the 2026 sheriff's election.