STATE GAZETTE (Dyersburg, Tennessee) 21 December 07 Judge rebuts story on $1,000 fine for killing a snake
Could you really be fined nearly a $1,000 for running over a snake in Tennessee?
That's allegedly what happened to a Louisiana woman who killed a snake while driving through Lake County, according to a report that has aired repeatedly this week on a West Tennessee radio station.
The story caught the attention of several people, who asked Lake County General Sessions Judge Danny Goodman if he really fined the woman anywhere from $900 to $1,000.
Goodman, who first heard about the story on Thursday, when queried by a State Gazette reporter, was astounded.
"I don't have any idea what they're talking about," he said.
The tempest started last week, when a caller from McKenzie said he's heard at a coffee shop that a woman from Louisiana vowed never return to Tennessee because of the fine. The caller said a man who'd overheard the conversation called a TWRA agent, who reportedly confirmed the story.
Trouble was, none of its was true.
But the story caught on fire after Grace Broadcasting production director Steve Hilton, who hosts a popular call-in radio show, repeated the story throughout the week.
If anyone were cited for killing a snake, Goodman said the case would have been heard in his court. But, he said he's heard no such cases. In fact, Goodman said only two wildlife-related cases have come up recently.
One was for hunting deer without deer tags; the other was for hunting over a baited field. Both cases were dismissed.
Goodman and members of the circuit court clerk's office wondered if the report could have referred to a different Lake County, such as Lake County, Fla.; Lake County, Ill.; Lake County, Ind.; Lake County, Ohio; Lake County, Calif.; Lake County, Ore.; Lake County, Mont; Lake County, Colo.; Lake County, Minn.; or ... well, you get the idea.
The judge said he intended to call the radio station, WTNE FM 97.7 from Trenton, to find out what's going on.
Hilton issued a clarification as soon as the broadcast began at 6:30 a.m. Friday and noted the corrected version throughout the day.
Hilton said Goodman had called him on Thursday telling him the story was untrue.
Judge rebuts story on $1,000 fine for killing a snake

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