Sheriff says prison reform advocate committed ‘evil act’

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville, Tennessee, Sheriff Daron Hall has testified that a prominent prison reform advocate committed an “evil act” when he disguised himself as a construction worker to hide guns, handcuff keys and hacksaw blades inside the walls of an under-construction Tennessee jail. The testimony comes in the case of Alex Friedmann, who’s charged with vandalism over $250,000. Much of what Friedmann did is on surveillance video and undisputed. Instead, the jury will be asked to decide whether the government is exaggerating the amount of damage to the facility. The cost includes rekeying every door and reviewing thousands of hours of video.