Parris arrested for threats: After General Sessions Judge Ross wears wire
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The suspect, Grundy County real estate developer Jerral Parris, 62, is charged with two counts of felony extortion and one count of possession of a weapon. He was freed on $250,000 bond Thursday after spending the night at Warren County Jail.
Parris was arrested Wednesday evening when he exited the downtown law office of Tami Poston Ross, immediately after having a conversation there with General Sessions Judge Larry Ross. Unknown to the suspect, Judge Ross was wired for sound and the conversation was monitored and recorded by lawmen who were nearby. A loaded .303 rifle was found in the trunk of the suspect’s car which was parked nearby.
According to arrest warrants, Parris met with Judge Ross for reasons of coercing Ross and his wife into modifying his divorce judgment in Grundy County to be favorable for him. Tami Poston Ross had represented Parris’ wife, Irina N. Parris, in the Grundy County divorce case.
According to published reports on Parris’ business ventures in Grundy County, Parris had reportedly first met his wife during a trip to Russia where he had gone after reading a magazine article on foreign brides. His trip came after he moved to Grundy County from the Mobile, Ala., and began building a string of mountain cabin estates. Irina was an interpreter he met while in Russia. She later moved to the U.S.
In the recent divorce case, Mrs. Parris had reportedly won a favorable judgment, receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars. Judge Ross had no involvement in the Grundy case, but was instead the point of coercion because he is married to Parris’ wife’s attorney.
“It’s amazing the lengths people will go to circumvent the legal system,” said Judge Ross. The judge declined to comment on specifics since he will be a witness for the prosecution. Ross added threats are something that unfortunately go along with his job as judge.
The exact nature of the coercion has not been revealed, although it is believed the comments made by Parris may have involved political or economic threats. The fact a gun was found in the trunk of the suspect’s car also has lawmen worried there could have been a physical threat implied. The extortion came in the form of both written and oral forms.
“We take this stuff seriously,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter who worked the case along with the TBI, McMinnville Police Department and Warren County Sheriff’s Department. “We don’t want a repeat of the J.B. McCord tragedy.”
J.B. McCord shot local attorney Robert Bonner Jr. in 1987 in his Court Square office which is located just a few yards from Ross’ office. The shooting was prompted by McCord’s anger over the outcome of a property boundary dispute.
Tami Poston Ross admitted she felt threatened by Parris’ actions, noting she once had to call the police on him when he came to her office irate over the divorce proceedings.
“It scared me,” Mrs. Ross said of Parris’ demeanor. “It’s sad how some people try to pervert justice.”
Parris, who is a resident of Grundy County, made the news in 1998 when he sought the Democratic nomination for governor. Parris eventually lost to John Jay Hooker in the primary, garnering 2 percent of the vote.
As part of the terms of his bond, Parris is not allowed to possess any firearms or have any contact with the Rosses, his wife or Chancellor Jeff Stewart who heard the divorce case. He is also not allowed to be near the courthouse other than to make his required court appearance. The parties involved were notified with Parris made bond Thursday.
The extortion charges facing Parris are Class D felonies, carrying two to four years in prison.