There’s a very good reason Tasha Blakney seems to be having fun. That’s because she is.

Tasha Blakney takes a break

The executive director of the Knoxville Bar Association is pictured exploring the Republic of Colombia, the South American country that KBA selected for its CLE Abroad.

“Last year’s KBA president, Carlos Yunsan, started the CLE Abroad with a trip to Panama, his native country,” Blakney said. “We learned so much that our current president, Jonathan Cooper, wanted to do it again. And we selected Colombia.

“We’ve already got people asking where we’re going next year.”

Blakney said the Knoxville group met with the chief justice of the Panama Supreme Court and had continuing education with other prominent attorneys. In Colombia, they met with economists, tourism officials and attorneys. “It is just a phenomenal outreach to another culture.”

Blakney was selected by the KBA Board of Governors in November 2023 to replace longtime executive director Marsha Watson who retired.

A native of West Tennessee, Blakney did her undergraduate work at UT-Martin and came to Knoxville in 1996 to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating in 1999. She was a practicing attorney in Knoxville for nearly 25 years during which time she served a term as president of the KBA and also the Tennessee Bar Association.

“It’s a great time to be in Knoxville. We’ve got two very fine law schools (the University of Tennessee and LMU) and our graduates are well-prepared. Knoxville is a regional hub. KBA members serve the city and surrounding areas.”

The St. Patrick’s Day bust

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office NARC Division (Narcotics And Retail Crimes) was out in force on March 17, 2025, to catch those who lacked the luck of the Irish. After a traffic stop and two search warrants, detectives seized:

  • 2 handguns
  • 969 grams of fentanyl (that’s 969,000 lethal doses)
  • 2,494 grams of marijuana (yes, it’s still illegal)
  • $14,383 in drug money

One suspect tried to escape – first in his vehicle, then on foot – tossing baggies of narcotics into the air as he ran, according to a post from the KCSO. “Unlucky for him, we still caught him, and the drugs were recovered from his abandoned vehicle. Our NARC Division has been working hard, and with warmer weather, things are only heating up.”

Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler holds a plaque from the Police Unity Tour and Blue Line Tennessee. He was recognized on March 27, 2025, for consistently supporting the unity tour team that honors law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty. With Spangler (center) are Sgt. John Edgar and Lt. Debbie Rogers.

Wire Fraud at the VA

With no Elon Musk in sight, the Inspector General of the Veterans Administration investigated and secured guilty pleas from two women, both former VA employees, both 59 and both from Jonesborough, Tennessee, on March 26, 2025.

Each defendant faces a term of up to 20 years in federal prison, $250,000 in fines and supervised release of three years. Under their written plea agreements, each defendant has agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $213,154.50 for a combined total of $426,309. Sentencing for both has been set for July 23, 2025, before Judge Clifton L. Corker in the U. S. District Court at Greeneville, Tennessee.

The women worked for the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tennessee. Each accepted cash bribes from sales representatives of an independent distributor of a nationwide orthopedic company that manufactures replacements joints and products used during surgeries in which those joints were implanted, according to the plea agreements filed with the court.

The sales representatives (who have previously entered guilty pleas) formed a separate company in June 2018 and began selling their own acquired inventory to the VA at inflated prices or when not medically necessary, resulting in losses to the VA. By their written plea agreements, each defendant agreed that they conspired and accepted cash bribe payments from the sales representatives of $9,900 each in September 2018 and $7,000 each in October 2018 for their agreement to commit, collude and aid in the fraud against the VA.

Notes & Quotes

Former Gov. Lamar Alexander will speak at Law Day 2025 Luncheon sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn more and register at www.knoxbar.org/events

The Barristers Cornhole Tournament will return on Wednesday, April 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Yee-Haw Brewing Co., 745 N. Broadway. Teams of two will go head-to-head in a tournament-style bracket for a chance to win four tickets to a Knoxville Smokies baseball game. Spectator registration is available and includes two drink tickets – so you can sip, cheer and enjoy the fun. More here.

Trump moving too fast for you? A nonprofit is publishing a daily update of Executive Orders and legal challenges to same. Info here.

In Memoriam

John Beasley

John William Beasley, 81, of Knoxville, formerly of Nashville and Waverly, Tennessee, passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Ben Atchley Veterans Home in Knoxville.

Mr. Beasley was a retired First Lieutenant U.S. Air Force, and an attorney-at-law who practiced in both Nashville and Knoxville. He is survived by his daughter, Heather Sandell, and husband Jeremiah Sandell. Family will meet at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Gov. John Sevier Hwy. for a 2 p.m. interment service with Tri County Veterans Honor Guard officiating. The family will receive friends from 2-3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Rose Funeral & Cremation, 1421 N. Broadway, Knoxville. Full obituary here.