William R. Brewer
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
William R. Brewer, Jr. is a judge for the Blount County General Sessions Court in Tennessee. He is based out of Maryville, Tennessee. He has served in this position since July of 1989.[1][2][3] He was re-elected without opposition in 2014 for a term that expires on August 31, 2022.[4]
Elections
2014
See also: Tennessee judicial elections, 2014
Brewer ran for re-election to the Blount County General Sessions Court.
Primary: He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on May 6, 2014.
General: He won without opposition in the general election on August 7, 2014.
[4]
Education
Brewer received his undergraduate degree (independent major combining political science, economics and secondary education) from Maryville College and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee School of Law.[2]
Career
- 1989-2022: Judge, Blount County General Sessions Court
- 1982-1989: Commissioner, Blount County
- 1981-1989: Attorney in private practice [2]
Noteworthy cases
Horse-soring suspect charged and evicted
On May 8, 2013, Blount County General Sessions Court Judge William R. Brewer ordered Larry Joe Wheelon evicted from a horse barn he had been renting in Maryville, Tennessee. The owners of the barn sought his eviction after Wheelon had been charged with aggravated cruelty to livestock.[5]
Earlier this year, on April 18, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture raided Wheelon’s barn and found nineteen horses with their legs wrapped in plastic, a chemical odor in the air, and nearby containers of mustard oil – all indicative signs of soring.[6]
Soring, according to the Humane Society of the United States, involves the “intentional infliction of pain to a horse's legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait. Caustic chemicals—blistering agents like mustard oil, diesel fuel, and kerosene—are applied to the horse's limbs, causing extreme pain and suffering.”[7] Such a practice is widely used in the Tennessee Walking Horse Show industries, where judges often reward the horses whose artificial gaits, known as the “Big Lick” gait, can be contrived by the practice of soring.[7]
Other methods of soring include pressure shoeing, whereby either a foreign object, such as a screw or golf ball, is inserted between the front hooves and the shoes, or the hooves are cut painfully close to the quick and the horse shoe is nailed directly on to the exposed and often bleeding surface. Another method involves the use of chemicals to cause open wounds to the front legs and then wrapping metal chains around the legs so that the chains continue to abrade the sores each time the horse walks. The prized Big Lick gait is then accomplished when the horse must shift its weight to its back legs in order to avoid the pain caused by the soring to its front hooves.[7]
Soring is often used on the Tennessee Walking Horse which has been bred to create a distinct gait and docile nature. The practice of soring has been illegal since the passage of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in 1970, a federal law that specifically addresses soring and is enforced by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).[8]
In addition to his eviction, Wheelon has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty and may face additional charges. He is currently out on a $5,000 bond and will appear in court later this month.[6]
The horses were seized by the Blount County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and, in conjunction with Horse Haven Rescue of Tennessee and the Humane Society of the U.S. and Tennessee, were transported to an undisclosed location where they are now in the process of recovery and doing great.[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "William R. Brewer"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey: William R. Brewer, Jr.
- ↑ Blount County Aug 3, 2006 Election Results (Scroll to p.6)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Blount County Board of Elections, "Official Ballot for Blount County Election Held on May 6, 2014," accessed May 2, 2014
- ↑ KnoxNews.com, "Blount County horse trainer being evicted from barn after animal cruelty charge," May 9, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 [ http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/Wheelon-eviction-sought-Horse-soring-suspect-makes-court-appearance-id-035938 The Daily Times, "Wheelon eviction sought: Horse soring suspect makes court appearance," May 1, 2013]
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Human Society of the United States, "What is Soring? Important facts about this cruel abuse," May 13, 2013
- ↑ APHIS, U.S. Department of Agriculture: Horse Protection Act.
