Melydia Clewell
A former longtime support staff member in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office has filed an incident report with the Sheriff's Office detailing a bitter Internet exchange with the wife of DA Neal Pinkston, Melydia Clewell.
Ms. Clewell, the office chief of staff, is currently on paid leave after the Comptroller's Office said the hiring of her and her brother violated the state law on nepotism. The brother is no longer with the office.
Barbara Branum, who left the DA's office last December, summoned an officer to her home to take the report. Ms. Branum began working there in 2006.
The officer said Ms. Branum "advised she is a former employee of the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. She advised she worked in the office for several years and recently left. She advised she has recently received group text messages from a 'Christian' and from Melydia Clewell showing screen shots of Facebook comments from a news article placed by NewsChannel 9.
"The text messages displayed show message from a phone number that Barbara identifies as the number of Melydia Clewell."
Here is the interchange between the two:
Ms. Clewell: "Ha! Someone sounds desperate."
Ms. Branum: "Umm do you know you've copied me in this? Sounds like ya'II are desperate. Leave. Me. Alone. I'll keep talking and telling the truth."
Ms. Clewell: "Ha! Heck yes she knows she copied you. And I do hope you keep talking... please... I need you to talk more. I'm collecting screen shots. If you get a phone call from an unknown number, that would be a process server looking for you. Please. Keep. Talking. Please. Yes. Please keep laughing. And Talking."
Ms. Branum: "You can't sue me for what's true. I'm not scared of you! And Christian talked sh-- about you and your husband for years. You both need a life. And ask her about your HUSBAND sending her love song lyrics."
Ms. Clewell: "Hal I don't care. Please. Keep. Talking. You might want to know more about the people you're responding to on Facebook, too."
Ms. Branum:"I don't give a sh-- about who I'm responding to. Desperation is a bad color."
Ms. Clewell: "That's hat I'm counting on. I'm not the one vomiting on Facebook."
Ms. Branum: "Yall are both desperate. I can sleep well at night. I know PLENTY."
Ms. Clewell: "Ha! You aren't the only one."
Ms. Branum: "Don't contact me again. Your both bullies."
Ms. Clewell:"I didn't contact you to begin with. And you could've ignored Christan's text."
Ms. Branum: "Leave. Me. Alone."
Ms. Clewell: "Hint. Stop responding."
Ms. Branum: "Hint. You're both blocked."
Ms. Clewell: "Thank God."
An investigator said images of the screen shot of the conversation had been uploaded to evidence.com.
Ms. Branum said she "just wanted documentation this incident occurred for her records."
Barbie Branum