Detective Rodney Burns
Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston has asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate Gatlinburg Police Department Detective Floyd Rodney Burns for "perjurious testimony."
DA Pinkston said the comments came "during sworn testimony in Hamilton County Juvenile Court on Monday regarding the assaults and rapes of four Ooltewah High School freshmen basketball players at a tournament in Sevier County last December."
Detective Burns said the case "appeared to be kids being kids - a hazing thing. It was something stupid that kids do and shouldn't have been done."
He said attacks against three other players on the team were not charged as rapes, but as assaults, because their clothing was not penetrated as in the case of the 15-year-old who was seriously injured. He said all were clothed and the case did not involve "sexual gratification."
DA Pinkston said the TBI plans to carry out the investigation of the detective.