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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sheriff Buford Pusser — the other story
MCNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — For many Tennesseans growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, and especially those in McNairy County, Sheriff Bufford Pusser was a hero. Hollywood made the big hit movie 'Walking Tall' about the lawman, but a shadow of controversy has also loomed over the McNairy County sheriff. His wife's murder remains a cold case to this day — and some say Pusser is responsible. Pusser's image of a big stick-carrying sheriff who cracked down on crime continues to this day. However, not everyone believes Pusser was a saint. 'You look into these things and you find it didn't happen that way at all,' said Mike Elam, author and podcaster of 'Buford Pusser: The Other Story.' 'He walked on both sides of the law.' Who was legendary lawman Buford Pusser? Elam is an outsider. He's from Arkansas, where he spent years in law enforcement. He started digging into Pusser's past. For him, the hero story wasn't adding up — especially that Pusser's wife Pauline was mistakenly murdered in an ambush that was intended to take him out. Elam believes Pusser killed his wife and covered it up. 'I believe it was staged to fit Buford's narrative,' Elam told News 2. 'But when you look at the evidence, it's so convincing that he didn't tell the entire truth.' Elam launched a podcast called 'Buford Pusser: The Other Story.' He also operates the a tour called 'The Truth has no Agenda' where he takes his guests — including many law enforcement officers — on a guided tour of the different crime scenes from the night of the murder. Dennis Hathcock is one of the locals on the tour. Pusser cracked down on his family's business, The Plantation Club, on the state line. Annual Buford Pusser Festival celebrates legendary sheriff 'He was evil. That's the only thing I can say … Because he could put out that persona that he's a good man fighting crime and corruption when, if you really knew what was going on,' Hancock told News 2. 'That's the importance of the tour and taking the route Buford took that morning — because that alone convinces a lot of people that it did not happen the way that Buford claimed,' said Elam. Elam said that other red flags at the crime scene included the location of blood splatters, and bullet holes. In fact, a tip last year led the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to re-examine the cold case and exhume Pauline's body. However, this revision of the Sheriff Pusser hero legend has ruffled some feathers in McNairy County. 'It's very frustrating — these people coming from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arksansas trying to be the Bufford Pusser expert,' Steve Sweat said. 'They don't have a clue.' Why were Pauline Pusser's remains exhumed? Sweat is the honorary Pusser expert for the state of Tennessee. He's not happy with tours like Elam's that tell a different story about Pusser. 'As far as I'm concerned, it happened the way the sheriff said it did because he was there and we weren't,' Sweat told News 2. 'As far as I know, that's the way that ambush went, the way the sheriff said it did.' 'I just think the truth is important,' Elam said. 'On my podcast, I always end it saying, 'The truth has no agenda.'' Elam said a tip to his podcast is what led the TBI to re-examine the cold case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Fox News
Tennessee tornado cleanup faces a long road to completion
Extensive damage left Selmer, Tennessee stuck in time at the exact moment a strong EF-3 tornado ripped through the town over a month ago. The tornado's 160 mile per hour winds were strong enough to shred well-built homes and businesses on April 3. The McNairy County Emergency Management Agency reported that 332 buildings were damaged by the tornado. Among them, 108 were completely destroyed. The Jesus Cares Thrift Store was a total loss, according to the owner. The roof and back wall of the store collapsed. Only about 30% of the merchandise was salvageable. "This was the main location that families and everybody came to when they needed something," Mayor Sherry Inman said. TORNADO ALLEY SHIFTS TO THE SOUTHEAST, STORM SHELTERS BECOME MORE POPULAR The thrift store was a non-profit that built tiny homes across the street for those in need. The tornado damaged all the tiny homes, but the thrift store's owner said none were completely destroyed. Inman estimated the tornado caused an estimated $30 million in damage. There's no timeline for cleanup, but she said it could take up to a year. About 10,000 tons of natural debris have been taken to the county landfill. "It's devastating. It's something that you just try to always prepare for, but you can't," Inman said. The weather event killed five people in Selmer, including Jamarcus McGowan. He died two days before his daughter, Jaleiya Bryant-McGowan's 16th birthday. "Two days before her 16th birthday. She was identifying her dad's body. On her 16th birthday, we were burying her dad," Brittany Bryant, the teenager's mother, said. "When you go to the funeral, they put makeup on, they fix you up, they fill you in, and you look more like yourself. When you're identifying somebody, especially after such a horrific thing, that looks a lot different." SCIENTISTS IN EAST TENNESSEE EXAMINE FISH COUNTS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HURRICANE HELENE McGowan, 39, lived in a trailer park in the direct path of the tornado. His family said his trailer was "bent like a paperclip." McGowan's 2012 Dodge Charger was the only thing of his to survive the tornado. The teenager's family wants to fix up her father's heavily damaged car. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "He loved this car. This car was everything to him. She wants to have her dad's car to drive," Bryant said. Most of the car's damage is cosmetic, but the family expects it to cost about $10,000.
