Scott Davis, process server and dog Charlie head to court
In a legal skirmish that seems to have no end, prominent developer and political influencer Scott Davis is headed back to court – this time as a defendant in a civil action brought by Sharon Jones.
The case, styled Sharon Lyn Jones and Daniel K. Jones vs. Scott Davis, Hope Davis and HD Development LLC, was filed in Knox County Circuit Court on March 3, 2021. 3-57-21 Complaint
Knox TN Today has confirmed that it currently is scheduled for trial on September 15, 2025, at 9 a.m. in Division III, Judge Deborah Stevens’s courtroom.
Our previous stories detail the original encounter.
December 4, 2020 – https://www.knoxtntoday.com/davis-arrested-released/
January 29, 2021 – https://www.knoxtntoday.com/71864-2/
Briefly, Jones attempted to serve process on Davis at his home, which also is listed as the location of his business, HD Development LLC. Jones said Davis followed her to her car and punched her in the face once and punched her dog, Charlie, twice. She left and called E-911.
Deputies arrested Davis after he stepped to his door with a loaded shotgun.
On May 9, 2022, Davis sued the deputies for malicious prosecution. The case Memorandum of Opinion was heard in Chattanooga by U.S. District Judge Travis R. McDonough. He dismissed the case without prejudice (meaning it can be refiled).
Davis filed also in state court. Judge McDonough based his dismissal on the Younger abstention standard – “when both federal and state proceedings are pending, principles of federalism dictate … claims should be raised and decided in state court (first).”
The Knox County case set for trial on September 15, 2025, asks for compensatory damages not to exceed $5 million and punitive damages double the compensatory damages. Plaintiffs request a jury trial.
Emily Abbott is new Criminal Court judge
Emily Abbott
Gov. Bill Lee has selected Emily F. Abbott of Knoxville as judge of Criminal Court to replace Judge Steven W. Sword who was elevated to the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals.
Born in 1980, Abbott was licensed to practice law in 2006. She graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and Vanderbilt University with an undergraduate degree in English. She has been an assistant district attorney in the 7th and 4th Judicial Districts. The 7th District is solely Anderson County; the 4th District includes several East Tennessee counties. She was assigned primarily to Sevier County.
She has prosecuted over a dozen murder trials including one in which the state sought capital punishment. Abbott cites membership in the Knoxville Track Club, the TN Farm Bureau and the Junior League of Knoxville. She is president-elect of North Knoxville Rotary.
Blotter
Charme Allen
DA Charme Allen announced that prosecutors in the Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions against a 28-year-old man who tried to kill his ex-girlfriend. The defendant was convicted of attempted first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, carjacking, unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted violent felon and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Judge Scott Green set the case for sentencing on September 19 where the man faces a minimum of 31 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Details here.
Prosecutors Leland Price and Joe Welker in the Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions against a drag racer who killed a grandfather and seriously injured his two grandchildren. The 24-year-old female was convicted of vehicular homicide, aggravated assault and drag racing. Judge Scott Green revoked her bond, ordered her into custody and set the case for sentencing on September 26. The wreck occurred January 17, 2023, at around 3 p.m. on Magnolia Avenue. Her co-defendant pled guilty and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Details here.
Federal prosecutors obtained a 292-month sentence for a 27-year-old Bristol, Tennessee, man. On April 1, 2024, federal agents and deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office located the suspect at a residence in Johnson City, Tennessee. Law enforcement found a significant quantity of fentanyl-laced, counterfeit Roxicodone 30mg pills and $13,754 in cash, as well as more than 130 firearms, some of which were stolen, including two silencers and a short-barreled rifle. The defendant admitted that he provided fentanyl-laced, counterfeit Roxicodone 30mg pills to a victim that caused their death. He pled guilty to a lesser charge. Details here.
In Memoriam
Albert Joseph Harb, 73, died August 14, 2025. He graduated from Fulton High School, the University of Tennessee and UT Law (1979). He joined the law firm of Hodges, Doughty and Carson in1984, and practiced there until his diagnosis in September 2024. Full obituary here.
Janice Kay Kell, 78, was memorialized on August 16, 2025, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Knoxville. She was a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law who clerked for Judge Joe Duncan on the Court of Criminal Appeals, practiced criminal defense law with Attorney Ralph Harwell and then was a permanent law clerk with U.S. District Judge Leon Jordan until her retirement in 2010. Her full obituary is here.
Pamela Krueger Riley, 80, wife of Michael T. Riley, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Interior based in Knoxville, passed away on August 12, 2025. Her mother was Kay Krueger, an activist in the local Republican Party in the 1970s. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Pamela was active in DAR, Ossoli Circle and the Knoxville Symphony League. Full obituary here.
Notes & Quotes
Blogger Jen Rubin says President Trump’s calling in state and federal troops to help police the District of Columbia “may be largely performative but allowing power grabs to stand would be a grave error. What happens in D.C. will not stay in D.C.”
Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District won’t go begging for candidates. As of 8/13/25, nine Republicans, four Democrats and four independents had been certified to run. The deadline to withdraw was Friday, August 15, so we will get a final list this week. The special election to replace Rep. Mark Green who resigned mid-term will be Tuesday, October 7 (primary), and Tuesday, December 2 (general).
Matt Bai writes in the Washington Post that Kamala Harris should not run for president in 2028: “this is the absolute wrong moment … to be a Washington insider with institutional support. Voters aren’t looking for familiarity and expertise; they’re looking for novelty and a clean break with the past. If you sent Democratic voters a customer satisfaction survey, the party’s current leadership would land somewhere between CVS and speed cameras.”
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