Recordings of Pilot president's epithets could disrupt trial

Source: Associated Press


Updated 1:07 pm, Saturday, December 9, 2017



Photo: Michael Patrick, AP

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2016, file photo, former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood, left, leaves federal court after being arraigned in Knoxville, Tenn. Secret recordings of one of the defendants uttering racial epithets are threatening to disrupt the federal fraud trial of former executives and sales staffers at the truck stop chain controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they will research whether those comments are inflammatory enough to warrant separate trials for Hazelwood's co-defendants (Michael Patrick /Knoxville News Sentinel via AP, File)


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Secret recordings of one of the defendants uttering racial epithets are threatening to disrupt the federal fraud trial of former executives and sales staffers at the truck stop chain controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

With the trial about to take a monthlong recess for the holidays, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports that U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Collier said that he would allow prosecutors to present the recordings of former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood using what he called "vile, despicable, inflammatory racial epithets," and disparaging the city of Cleveland and its pro football team.
 
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they will research whether those comments are inflammatory enough to warrant separate trials for Hazelwood's co-defendants.
 
"Mr. Hazelwood's utterances are beyond the pale," Collier said. "Several subordinates of Mr. Hazelwood were present. Mr. Hazelwood was in a position of authority over them."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Recordings-of-Pilot-president-s-epithets-could-12418400.php