NEWPORT-General Sessions Court Judge John Bell advised members of the Cocke County Legislative Body the county needs to follow through in addressing fire code violations in the Cocke County Courthouse.

"The fire marshal issue is not going away," Bell told members of the CLB. "My court is in compliance but the courthouse issue is not resolved. I've walked through and counted more than 50 people in the hallway. You've got a problem and you've not taken action. If you don't control it, you're going to be charged. The state fire marshal and city fire marshal are monitoring you. It's a Class C misdemeanor and carries a $500 fine."

Reportedly responding to a citizen's complaint, two state fire marshals and Newport Fire Inspector Jeremy Shelton visited the Cocke County Courthouse in late August and found overcrowding in both courtrooms and the hallways and courtroom doors that did not open in the right direction. The courts have addressed, or are in the process of changing the doors, and have also posted signs on the capacity of the courtrooms.

For more details, please see the Tuesday edition of the Newport Plain Talk.