Tennessee
Nashville man hopes for freedom: ‘Bring me a pair of sprinting shoes’
Gov. Bill Lee will decide whether to adopt the parole board’s recommendation to exonerate Thomas Clardy of first-degree murder
A Nashville man who proclaimed for years that he was not a killer finally heard the words that could change his life:
“It appears we have an innocent man in prison in the state of Tennessee, and the issue should be resolved.”
When he heard that, he wasn’t joyful. He wasn’t excited. The way he sees it, how could he be?
“How can you be excited about something that was taken from you that should have never been taken?” he said in an interview from prison on March 25.
For nearly 20 years, Thomas Clardy has been trying to prove that what he is saying is true. Every day he has been trying to show people that he did not shoot Kirk Clouatre, that he was not at the auto body shop in Madison where Clouatre was gunned down that night in 2005. For more than a third of his life, Clardy, now 47, has been confined to a prison cell, trying to convince someone with power that he did not deserve to die there.
When Tennessee Board of Parole member Tim Gobble said those words on Feb. 18, what Clardy felt was relief.
“Every day I had to prove to somebody that what I’m saying is the truth. So now the people in authority, they saying it,” Clardy said. “That was my happiness, that someone else was able to tell them this. … It felt great for somebody else to speak up for me.”
Clardy slept better that night than he had his entire life. But over 40 nights later, it’s getting harder to keep waking up in a prison cell.
At this point, Clardy has done all he can do. He and his attorneys, including a team from the Tennessee Innocence Project and Bass, Berry & Sims, convinced a majority of the parole board that he is innocent.
But Gov. Bill Lee is the one with the power. The board’s nonbinding recommendation was scheduled to go to Lee’s desk after the hearing, and Lee will then review the materials in Clardy’s file to determine if he should exonerate him. All Clardy can do is wait.
It’s not clear when Lee might make his decision. A spokesperson for Lee’s office did not return The Tennessean’s request for comment.
In his first interview since the parole board’s decision, Clardy on March 25 described what it was like to return to prison after being released from 2023-2025, what it is like to remain there after the parole board’s vote, and what he looks forward to if he is set free.
His initial freedom was short-lived
Clardy cried for the last time on Aug. 10, 2025.
It was nighttime and he was alone at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, feeling homesick.
He had walked out of that prison before. On Oct. 20, 2023, a federal judge found him innocent and set him free.
When he was free, Clardy worked as a furniture mover and went to church every week. He connected with a wide circle of people who were inspired by his story. One of those people was GEODIS Americas chief financial officer Andrew Grant, who said of Clardy, “I wish I was the man he has proven to be.”
Clardy also worried about when the other shoe would drop.
“I was joyful about being free for 22 months, but every day it was like being under the gun as well,” he said. “Every day I had to wait and pray and hope that I didn’t receive a phone call that I was going to have to return back to prison.”
The call came. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office appealed the judge’s order that freed Clardy, and in early 2025, an appellate judge reversed the decision.
Clardy was ordered to return to prison Aug. 8, leaving behind his pregnant fiancée Keondra Cooper. People asked him why he didn’t run.
‘Have you heard anything?’
Since 1989, Tennessee state courts have exonerated — or declared legally innocent — just 40 people, according to the Tennessee Innocence Project, the state chapter of the national Innocence Project. Tennessee’s governors, who also have the power to declare a person innocent, have exonerated just two people in recent years, in 2017 and 2021, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website. Both had already been released from prison when they were exonerated. At the board’s most recent exoneration hearing before Clardy’s in January 2025, a majority of the members voted to recommend exoneration for Charlie Dunn, who died in 2015. Lee has not exonerated Dunn.
A conservative estimation holds that 1% of all people in prison are innocent, with other estimates ranging as high as 5%, according to information on the Innocence Project’s website. If those figures hold true in Tennessee, hundreds of innocent people are in prison right now.
Many of them had given up hope, Clardy said. But the parole board’s decision to recommend Clardy’s exoneration has inspired some of the most hardened prisoners, Clardy said. Every day since Feb. 18, they’ve asked him, “Have you heard anything?”
And every day he doesn’t, it gets harder, he said. Yet he feels like he can’t let it show.
“I always want to know, I ask the Lord, when can it be my day, so when I can just cry?” he said. He said he feels a duty not to let others lose hope for their futures. “I can’t sell you a dream if I’m crying every day about what I’m going through.”
What Clardy hopes for
Clardy is from Nashville. He was born at Baptist Hospital, now Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, went to Pearl-Cohn High School and led its football team to the 1997 state championship. Even now, the prison he is in is fewer than 10 miles from the state Capitol. Not being able to persuade those in power for so long has been painful.
“I’m in my backyard, and I’m screaming help, but the people in my front can’t even hear me,” Clardy said.
He paused. “And I don’t want to be crying, but I need help,” Clardy said, his voice cracking.
Clardy said he can’t see far enough to picture the future, but he has things he looks forward to if he is released.
Seeing his children, fiancée, friends and supporters in person
Right now, all conversations go through “a pay phone that’s going to tell me you have five minutes before the phone hangs up. You have 60 seconds, and you ain’t even been able to get everything out.”
“Just imagine your child or your spouse having a bad day and trying to help her get through it, only to be told that your time is up,” he said.
Being with someone who loves him
“It’s the hugs, it’s the good nights, and actually being able to physically sleep at night with somebody that loves you the same way you love them. That’s the things that I look forward to,” he said.
Running
“Now, I wanna run. When they give me my freedom, I wanna run, for real,” Clardy said. “That’s what I told — bring me a pair of sprinting shoes when you come pick me up. I don’t care about getting in the car. I don’t care about getting in the house. I just want to run, because I’m able to be free now.”
Seeing his new child
If Clardy walks out of prison for a second time, there will be a baby waiting for him at home. Her name is Ennocence.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
Tennessee
Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video
A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”
Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.
“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.
Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.
“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.
“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”
Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.
On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.
“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.
“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.
The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.
“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”
The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.
The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.
Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee
The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.
Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.
Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.
Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.
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Tennessee
Franklin police ticket 13-year-old after e-bike crash, and a new Tennessee law brings more changes July 1
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Franklin police cited a 13-year-old following a crash involving a motorized bike, and a new Tennessee law taking effect July 1 will bring additional restrictions for young riders.
On April 21, Franklin officers responded to a fender bender at the Interstate 65 off-ramp at the Goose Creek Bypass involving a 13-year-old on a motorized bike and a vehicle. Both the teen and the adult driver were waiting for officers when they arrived. The woman behind the wheel was visibly shaken and told officers the bike came out of nowhere while she was attempting to turn right on red.
The bike turned out to be more powerful than a standard e-bicycle. Under the law, it is not considered a bicycle at all — it is classified as a motor scooter, which falls under different laws than Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes.
“Downside is kids are about to get a bunch of tickets. He can’t ride that e-bike because it’s not just an e-bike — too much voltage, it’s a motor scooter,” Officer Spry with the Franklin Traffic Unit said.
“He can’t be on a sidewalk, he has to be in a bike lane, and it can’t be more than 28 miles an hour,” Spry said.
The driver of the car was cited for failure to exercise due care. The 13-year-old was cited for several violations, including not having a driver’s license, insurance, or registration. Franklin police say the citations issued to the teen are all appropriate under current law. Officers told the teen’s parent the citations would need to be answered in juvenile court. The family promised to trade the bike in for something safer.
Spry made clear this is not an isolated case.
“You’re not the only one that I’ve written this ticket to,” Spry said.
“This is probably one of the greatest opportunities for us to provide safety and save a life that we’ll ever see,” Franklin Alderman Greg Caesar said.
Starting July 1, only those 16 years and older will be legally allowed to ride Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach speeds of 28 miles per hour. The new law changes the age of those allowed to operate Class 3 e-bikes and does not affect the motor scooter classification that applied in this case.
Franklin city leaders are debating changes to local e-bike laws. Alderman Greg Caesar described it as a nuanced problem but said educating parents should start now.
“It needs to be considered, as some of these e-bikes and riders can do real and significant damage,” Caesar said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Students help relaunch donation drive for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Young or old, we all love to play board and card games! Those games become even more important when you are indoors and don’t have the ability to get outside, like patients in a hospital. Austin Pollack shares the story of students in a Nashville family who have helped re-launch the Red Wagon project to collect games for patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
– Lelan Statom
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