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Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes gets 95 years for child sex abuse images and escape convictions

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Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes gets 95 years for child sex abuse images and escape convictions


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man accused in lawsuits of drugging and sexually assaulting dozens of women received a 95-year prison sentence Monday for other types of offenses: the production of child sex abuse images and an escape from an inmate transport van.

Judge J. Ronnie Greer in Greeneville called Sean Williams an unrepentant “organized, methodical sexual predator of women and children,” according to the Johnson City Press. Prosecutors said Williams, who was already in prison, had razor blades in his shoes on his way to court.

Williams, 53, congratulated a prosecutor for a ”dramatic performance” during Monday’s hearing in federal court and implied the images were faked or doctored. Williams laughed, shook his head and retorted when the judge said the only thing worse he could imagine would be being a serial killer.

Earlier this month, Johnson City officials voted to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by women under “Jane Doe” pseudonyms against the city and individual police officers that claimed police deliberately botched investigations over sexual assault allegations against Williams from 2018 to 2021.

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Williams has not yet been criminally charged as a result of the women’s allegations in the lawsuits.

This Sept. 19, 2020 photo shows a downtown Johnson City, Tenn. building where Sean Williams reportedly lived. (WJHL via AP, File)

The city and the officers have long denied corruption allegations, including a claim in the women’s lawsuit that Williams paid police to obstruct investigations into sexual assault allegations against him. The settlement broadly includes up to 400 women, including minors, who lodged any report of sexual abuse or trafficking to Johnson City Police from 2018 through December 2022, due to accusations of gender discrimination. The settlement still requires court approval.

A campus police officer at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, found Williams asleep in his car in 2023 while he was fleeing a federal felon-possessing-ammunition charge in April 2021.

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His vehicle contained cocaine, methamphetamine, about $100,000 and digital storage devices with more than 5,000 images of child sexual abuse. Williams was also in possession of photos and videos showing him sexually assaulting at least 52 women at his Johnson City apartment while they were in an “obvious state of unconsciousness,” police wrote.

At least half a dozen names on folders containing videos of women were consistent with first names on a list labeled “Raped” that Johnson City officers had previously found in his apartment, a police affidavit said.

After being charged in connection with the child sexual abuse images, Williams in October 2023 escaped from a van taking him from a Kentucky detention center to a hearing in Tennessee. Authorities caught him in Florida more than a month later.

He was convicted in July of the van escape and in November of the child sex abuse images of a 9-month-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. Prosecutors said Williams also raped the children’s mothers while they were unconscious and that there were images and videos of them as well. Williams took the sexually explicit photos of one child in 2008 and the other two on separate occasions in 2020, all in his apartment, prosecutors said.

In Tennessee state court, Williams faces additional charges involving minors. In a North Carolina federal court, he’s charged with possessing child sexual abuse images and illegal drugs.

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Two other federal lawsuits against Johnson City and individual police officers are still pending over the investigation of sexual assault reports against Williams.





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New TVA board must refocus on reliability, affordability and accountability | Opinion

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New TVA board must refocus on reliability, affordability and accountability | Opinion


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  • The author argues the Tennessee Valley Authority has strayed from its core mission of providing reliable and affordable energy.
  • New board members nominated by President Donald Trump are urged to refocus the agency on power generation.
  • TVA should resist “side projects” like green energy, ESG goals, and government broadband.

As Tennessee, and six other southern states, prepare to welcome a new slate of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board members nominated by President Donald Trump, our state faces a pivotal moment for one of its most important public institutions.

TVA was created to serve a simple, vital purpose — to provide reliable, affordable energy to the people of our Tennessee Valley region. But over the years, that mission has drifted.

Too often, TVA has strayed into side projects that have little to do with keeping the lights on and everything to do with expanding the government’s reach. It’s time for that to change. With new leadership coming in alongside a vision cast by Trump and our two U.S. Senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, TVA has a chance to return to what it does best: providing affordable energy that powers Tennessee’s homes, businesses and industries.

The stakes could not be higher. From families trying to pay rising power bills, which seem to increase year over year, to small businesses struggling with inflation and energy costs, reliability and affordability aren’t abstract policy goals —they’re kitchen table issues. When the cost of electricity goes up, the cost of everything else follows.

TVA at risk of power shortages again this winter

And, according to Sen. Bill Hagerty, TVA’s failures are now a “limiting factor” on economic development projects in Tennessee. Not to mention the rolling brownouts we’ve experienced over the past few years — which TVA now anticipates will continue going forward.

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That’s why the largely new TVA board, once approved by the U.S. Senate, should make one goal crystal clear: TVA’s job is to produce dependable energy at the lowest possible cost, not follow liberal trends, pursue pet projects or build new bureaucracies.

In recent years, TVA’s focus has too often shifted away from its statutory mission. Take broadband and other non-core ventures for example. They stretch TVA’s expertise, resources and legal boundaries. This kind of “mission creep” doesn’t help Tennessee families — it burdens them.

The truth is, government-run projects in spaces like broadband have consistently failed to deliver on their promises. Across the country, liberal pet projects like this have been riddled with cost overruns, low participation rates and disappointing results. They sound good on paper, but in reality, they waste taxpayer dollars and crowd out private providers that can do the job better and faster — all why putting the taxpayer on the long-term hook for repairs, upgrades and other network needs.

Tennessee’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding decisions offer a cautionary tale. Every state will receive federal funds to expand broadband access, but states must decide how those funds are spent. Here in Tennessee, the right choice is to prioritize free-market solutions that empower private providers to compete and innovate — not to expand the footprint of government-run networks that history tells us are unsustainable.

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When TVA stays in its lane, Tennessee prospers

The same principle should guide TVA. The board’s first responsibility should be to the ratepayers – the people of Tennessee who depend on consistent, affordable electricity. That means ensuring every decision made under this new leadership passes a simple test: Does it make energy more reliable and affordable for the people TVA serves? If not, it’s the wrong direction.

Trump’s new nominees have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to restore trust and accountability at TVA. The Senate’s confirmation of these nominees for TVA’s board is a chance to chart a new course for one of Tennessee’s and the larger region’s most influential institutions.

We need board members who will roll up their sleeves, hold the agency accountable and keep TVA focused on what matters: energy independence, affordability and service to the people who actually pay the bills.

With new leadership and renewed focus, it can once again become a model of what government should be – limited, accountable and working for the people.

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Walter Blanks Jr. serves as executive director of Black Americans United for Tennessee.



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Texans, Titans Reveal Inactives List for Week 11

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Texans, Titans Reveal Inactives List for Week 11


The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans have officially unveiled their inactives list for Week 11.

Here’s what the landscape is looking like for both sides leading up to kickoff:

– QB C.J. Stroud

– S Jalen Pitre

– K Ka’imi Fairbairn

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– WR Braxton Berrios

– OT Jarrett Kingston

– OG Ed Ingram

– RB Dameon Pierce

– S Xavier Woods

– S Jerrick Reed II

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– GG Drew Moss

– OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson

C.J. Stroud, Jalen Pitre (concussion protocol), Ka'imi Fairbairn (right quadriceps), Braxton Berrios, Dameon Pierce, Jarrett

C.J. Stroud, Jalen Pitre (concussion protocol), Ka’imi Fairbairn (right quadriceps), Braxton Berrios, Dameon Pierce, Jarrett Kingston and Ed Ingram (sprained knee) / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Texans will have four regular starters officially set to the side for their second meeting against the Titans this year. The biggest of those, of course, is quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is missing his second-straight game while navigating through concussion protocol.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, there’s a chance Stroud winds up missing a third game for Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, depending on how his status develops on the short turnaround.

That leaves Davis Mills as his second start for this weekend in Tennessee, and he could be in line for another depending on how the week ahead pans out.

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Along with Stroud, other starters in Jalen Pitre, Ka’imi Fairbairn, and Ed Ingram will also be out of the mix with their respective injuries.

Pitre, like Stroud, is still stuck in the NFL’s concussion protocol and will have his next chance to suit up vs. Buffalo. Fairbairn is suffering from a quad injury that’s kept him sidelined since Week 10 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, now giving Matthew Wright another go as the Texans’ kicker.

Ingram, Houston’s starting right guard for a majority of this season, was listed as questionable heading into the weekend as he still deals with a lingering knee injury. But the Texans’ new update now confirms he’ll be missing a second-straight week himself.

Sep 28, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) is unable to catch a pass as Houston Texa

Sep 28, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) is unable to catch a pass as Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) defends during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Titans also have a few notable updates in the mix of their inactives list, now confirming that wide receiver Calvin Ridley, defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, and linebacker Arden Key will all be active and ready to go against Houston.

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All three were deemed questionable before the action kicked off in Tennessee, but now, each of their statuses has since been elevated to active, and gives the Titans a welcomed boost on both ends of the field.

Kickoff between the Texans and Titans lands at 12 PM CST, where Houston will have their shot to elevate to a .500 record for the first time this regular season.

Be sure to bookmark Houston Texans On SI and follow @TexansOnSI on X for daily Houston Texans news, interviews, breakdowns and more!



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LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech

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LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech


That was fun. Kentucky took care of business on Senior Day in a big way, beating Tennessee Tech 42-10. Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are live outside Kroger Field to talk about it on another happy KSR Rapid Reaction.

There was a lot to like from today’s win, but I imagine Nick and Adam will start with Cutter Boley’s play. The redshirt freshman quarterback was spectacular, finishing 18-21 for 236 yards and a passing touchdown and another touchdown on the ground on a 30-yard scramble. Cutter’s quarterback rating today was 195.8. Yes, that was against an FCS squad, but you couldn’t ask for much more from him or the Cats today. Kentucky is now 5-5 with road games at No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Louisville to close the season.

That’s enough from me. Hear more about the win from Nick and Adam below.

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More Postgame Content on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.



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