One arrest looks ugly on anyone's record, so multiple run-ins with the law in just a month is terrible—especially for a state senator.
According to authorities in Tennessee, Sen. Jim Summerville's initial arrest was for public intoxication, when he decided it would be cool to grab a lawn chair, then post up in neighbor's yards while drinking. The other arrests came for allegedly harassing next-door-neighbor Cecilia Donaven with juvenile acts ranging from covering her front porch with toilet paper to annoying her guests with a flashlight as they entered and left her house. Their feud reportedly stems from Donaven preventing him from contacting animal control about another neighbor's pet.
In a statement, Summerville did the expected, denying any wrongdoing:
The City of Dickson Police Department is engaging a systematic campaign of harassment. (Stalking! At my age?) Once these charges are resolved in court, I shall be suing the City of Dickson. Settlement negotiations will start at one million dollars.
