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Axios
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Former Nashville police lieutenant indicted for charges related to Covenant records leak
A former Nashville police lieutenant was indicted Tuesday on charges of official misconduct related to his handling of records from the Covenant School shooting investigation. Driving the news: Former Lt. Garet Davidson is the subject of two indictments, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday in a press release. A legal filing last year indicated Davidson was the person who leaked sealed records related to the Covenant investigation, but the filing stopped short of overtly accusing him. In total, Davidson is charged with 36 counts of official misconduct, plus additional charges for theft and burglary. He was booked into a Nashville jail on Tuesday on a $150,000 bond. Flashback: Davidson is at the center of two separate high-profile issues facing the Metro Nashville Police Department. In addition to the Covenant records leak, he filed a sweeping whistleblower report last year accusing police leadership of misconduct and mismanagement. Mayor Freddie O'Connell appointed former U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton to investigate the claims made in the whistleblower report. The TBI said it began investigating Davidson at the request of District Attorney General Glenn Funk. Zoom in:"While employed as a lieutenant of the Office of Professional Accountability at (MNPD), (Davidson) used his position to gain access to restricted areas that he was not authorized to access within MNPD," TBI said in the release. "He then took multiple criminal case files, internal investigation case files, original case files, and other documents he was not authorized to retain." The intrigue: The official release of the Covenant records investigation file was the subject of intense scrutiny and eventually a lawsuit. Before Chancellor I'Ashea Myles ruled in that suit, parts of the investigation file were leaked to conservative outlet the Tennessee Star. A sworn declaration filed by Lt. Alfredo Arevalo last year singled out Davidson, Axios previously reported, noting that the investigation file was stored in the safe inside Davidson's office for 13 days. Davidson was the only person who had the key and combination to the locked safe during that time, according to Arevalo. Davidson subsequently left the department and frequently did interviews with the Tennessee Star about the Covenant case. Earlier this year, police released the case file.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
An ex-police officer implicated in leak of a Nashville school shooter's journals has been arrested
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former Nashville police lieutenant was arrested Tuesday on charges of theft, burglary and official misconduct after he was accused of taking case files, including records from a school shooting where three 9-year-olds and three adult staff were killed. In announcing the arrest of Garet Davidson, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said he used his position with the Office of Professional Accountability at the Metro Nashville Police Department to gain access to restricted areas. 'He then took multiple criminal case files, internal investigation case files, original case files, and other documents he was not authorized to retain,' according to a TBI news release. Davidson was booked into the Nashville jail on a $150,000 bond. Davidson's attorney, Alex Little, said he would have a statement about the arrest later on Tuesday. FILE - People console each other at an entry to Covenant School, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn., which has become a memorial to the victims of Monday's school shooting. (AP Photo/John Amis, file) Some of the charges are related to the March 2023 Covenant School shooting, according to the TBI. Davidson was previously implicated in the leak of the shooter's journals to conservative media outlets. The Tennessee Star published dozens of stories based on what they said were 80 pages of the shooter's writings. That outlet was one of several parties that had filed open records requests with Nashville police for records related to the shooting, including the journals. When the city refused to immediately release the records in 2023, they sued. The plaintiffs included a gun rights group, a law enforcement nonprofit and Tennessee State Sen. Todd Gardenhire. On the other side was not just the city, but parents of many of the Covenant students who wanted to keep the records secret. The situation quickly ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and accusations of ethical misconduct. In July, a judge ruled for the parents, who claimed they own the copyright to the writings, transferred to them from the shooter's parents as next of kin. That decision is currently under appeal. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month provided Tennessee Star owner, Star News Digital, with a redacted version of its Covenant shooting files in response to a separate lawsuit. In a federal court filing, the FBI said it withheld names and identifying information of third parties and detailed descriptions of the shooter's plans. Also last month, Nashville police released a final report on the shooting that included details about the shooter's writings, mental health and motivations. Those killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61. Shooter Audrey Hale was shot and killed by police at the scene.
International Business Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- International Business Times
Did Biden Photoshop Himself into Family Easter Photo? Online Sleuths Point Out Odd Details Claiming Image Was Digitally Altered
Joe Biden is no longer the President of the United States, but he doesn't stop from eliciting laughs on social media. Biden became a hot topic on social media on Sunday as online sleuths tried to claim that the former president photoshopped himself into his family's Easter photo. Biden, 82, shared a photo on X that shows his family members sitting on a set of steps in Delaware. However, his embattled son, Hunter Biden, was missing from the family photo. In the photo, Biden is seen sitting on the top step, but several social media users began to question whether he was actually present or the photo was altered. Digitally Altered Image Social media users pointed out odd details that raise doubt about the authenticity of the photo. Some users pointed at Biden's strange hand position, the lighting on his face, and his position in the image — making it difficult to tell if he's crouching or seated behind his family. Others pointed out former First Lady Jill Biden's hair, which they claimed appeared photoshopped on the right side, where it overlaps with the former president's suit, further fueling suspicions. "This is photoshop. Biden face is brightly lit from top/bottom. Everyone else's is diffused (shaded) Biden has no discernible shadow. Jill casts a shadow, Biden does not. Super awkward body position. Head size doesn't match depth line. Is [Joe Biden] alive?" one user claimed. "I mean this is obviously photoshopped right? Is he supposed to be standing? Crouching down? This doesn't even look like a plausible physically position guys," another X user wrote. "Is your forearm 4ft long?" wrote yet another person. "With your arm at that angle, it's physically impossible for those to be your fingers. Who the hell is doing this crappy Photoshop job?" Tennessee Star reporter Tom Pappert also wrote: "Why is Biden wearing a full suit and tie and TV makeup for this loving family photo"? Shocking Clues Online sleuths continued to point out odd details till Monday. "Dude all politics aside, this is so bizarre. I don't understand the [special] arrangement of Joe in this picture. Everyone in the back row of the photo *except Joe* appears to be sitting. So why isn't he towering over them? Are we supposed to believe he's sitting or something?" another user opined on X. However, some also appeared to support the former president, suggesting it was unlikely that he edited the photo himself. "I don't think Biden was actually photoshopped into this pic (the hand is on the guy's back in front of him), but he still looks as photoshopped as they come. If they were gonna photoshop him in, they would definitely have made it look less obvious," one user named RedEaglePatriot wrote.
New York Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Biden accused of photoshopping himself into Easter family picture: ‘This is so bizarre'
Egg on his face! The internet was abuzz Sunday as sleuths tried to figure out whether former President Joe Biden photoshopped himself into his family's Easter picture. Biden, 82, posted a picture featuring his family sitting on some steps in Delaware — without scandal-scarred son Hunter Biden — on X. Advertisement The former president was apparently seated on the top step wearing a blue suit — but social media users quickly became skeptical of whether the octogenarian was actually there. X users noted Biden's strange hand placement, the lighting on his face and his overall positioning, making it unclear if he's crouching or sitting behind his family. Advertisement Former first lady Jill Biden's hair also looks altered on her right side, where her husband's suit is, raising more alarm. 'I mean this is obviously photoshopped right? Is he supposed to be standing? Crouching down? This doesn't even look like a plausible physically position guys,' one social media user wrote. 'This is photoshop. Biden face is brightly lit from top/bottom. Everyone else's is diffused (shaded) Biden has no discernible shadow. Jill casts a shadow, Biden does not. Super awkward body position. Head size doesn't match depth line. Is [Joe Biden] alive?' wrote another. 'Is your forearm 4ft long?' wrote a third. 'With your arm at that angle, it's physically impossible for those to be your fingers. Who the hell is doing this crappy Photoshop job?' Advertisement Tennessee Star reporter Tom Pappert wrote: 'Why is Biden wearing a full suit and tie and TV makeup for this loving family photo'? 3 Social media users pointed out Biden's strange positioning behind his family and the weird hand placement. X / @JoeBiden 3 The lighting on Biden's face looked slightly different from the rest of his family, X users said. X / @JoeBiden 'Dude all politics aside, this is so bizarre. I don't understand the [special] arrangement of Joe in this picture. Everyone in the back row of the photo *except Joe* appears to be sitting. So why isn't he towering over them? Are we supposed to believe he's sitting or something?' wrote yet another X user. Advertisement Others jumped to Biden's defense, arguing he likely didn't photoshop the picture. 'I don't think Biden was actually photoshopped into this pic (the hand is on the guy's back in front of him), but he still looks as photoshopped as they come. If they were gonna photoshop him in, they would definitely have made it look less obvious,' wrote social media user RedEaglePatriot. 3 The photoshop speculation comes after years of White House staffers claiming Biden was in top physical shape — only for voters to see him blunder his first and only presidential debate with President Trump in the 2024 election. REUTERS The photoshop speculation comes after years of White House staffers claiming the former president was in top physical shape — only for voters to see Biden blunder his first and only presidential debate with President Trump in the 2024 election. The former president has been largely out of the limelight since the Democrats lost in November, but he did deliver his first post-presidency speech in Chicago last week on Social Security.
