Soddy Daisy Police Chief Philip Hamrick went to social media to criticize a judge for setting a bond he considered low in a vehicular homicide case.
He commented after Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman set a bond for former county EMT and former county sheriff's reserve officer, Justin Whaley.
Chief Hamrick wrote, "I don't post a lot but in my 30 years of law enforcement I have never been so ashamed of our judicial system. So called Judge Barry Steelman exemplifies what is wrong with the courts in the United States. Those of you who voted for this guy should be ashamed also. I've seen higher bonds set for possession of marijuana. Everyone who has been touched by the loss of a friend or loved one to DUI should be outraged! This shows that all a human life is worth $6,000 to a bondsman according to some people. How can you set on the bench and look at a widow and family and spit in their face like this?”
Whaley is charged in the July 3 traffic accident on Highway 111, which killed James Brumlow.
After Whaley turned himself in on Tuesday, Judge Steelman lowered the bond from $600,000 to $50,000 in a reduction of bond hearing.
District Attorney Neal Pinkston wondered why the bond reduction hearing was happening so soon, wondering if Whaley was getting special treatment.
Judge Steelman said it was because Whaley had no criminal record and was not a threat.