Gatlinburg Detective Sues For Defamation After Ooltewah Rape Case

GATLINBURG, Tenn. – A detective being investigated for perjury in the Ooltewah Basketball rape case is now suing for defamation.
According to CBS TV affiliate WVLT, Gatlinburg Detective Rodney Burns is suing Hamilton County District Attorney General Neil Pinkston.
The station reports the Detective wants $300,000 for damages to his reputation.
Last month, the Hamilton County District Attorney’s office asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the controversial testimony Detective Burns gave in Juvenile court.
The detective compiled the case against three Ooltewah high school basketball players who are accused of attacking a freshman player with a pool cue last December.
They are charged with sexual assault.
In Court, Burns said of the boys, “They were not doing it for sexual gratification. This was something stupid that kids do.”
That prompted Hamilton County District Attorney General Neil Pinkston to ask for a perjury investigation.
According to WVLT, Burns has spent 25 years in law enforcement, and the allegations left him with “depression and anxiety.”