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Charges filed this week against former Blount County Magistrate Dustin Hatcher revolve around accusations that he took lewd pictures of a 17-year-old girl in his office while working for the county in late 2006. If convicted, he faces as many as 16 years in prison.
According to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kristin Helm, Hatcher turned himself into authorities at the Blount County Jail at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. TBI was handling the investigation due to a conflict of interest between the Blount County Sheriff’s Office and the Blount County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. The two offices work closely together and the clerk’s office oversaw Hatcher’s position as magistrate.
According to a Blount County Circuit Court indictment that was filed Monday and released Wednesday, Hatcher is being charged on a counts of sexual activity involving a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The alleged victim was named in the indictment, but due to the nature of the charges she is not being identified by The Daily Times.
The first charge against Hatcher stems from the incident that allegedly happened on or about Nov. 30 at the Blount County Justice Center. Hatcher, 25, Sevierville Road, Maryville, is accused of calling the 17-year-old girl into his office and coercing her into putting on lingerie so he could take pictures of her.
The charge centers on the allegation that Hatcher took pictures of the girl’s bare breasts. In a federal civil suit filed by the 17-year-old and her mother in December of 2006, the picture, or pictures, in question were allegedly taken as she was putting her clothes back on. According to Tennessee Code Annotated, the charge of sexual activity involving a minor is a Class B felony, and in the standard range is punishable by between eight and 12 years in prison.
The second charge, according to the indictment, comes from Hatcher allegedly possessing a picture or pictures of the girl’s bare breasts on a cell phone. In the 17-year-old’s civil suit, Hatcher was accused of showing a picture in question to other Blount County employees. According to TCA, sexual exploitation of a minor is a Class D felony, and in the standard range is punishable by between two and four years in prison.
The third charge, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, was based on the allegation that Hatcher encouraged the 17-year-old to engage in sexual activity. TCA categorizes the charge as a Class A misdemeanor.
The civil suit filed against Hatcher, Blount County, Blount County Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher and the clerk’s office, on Dec. 15, was settled by the county on Jan. 10 for $45,000.
Dustin Hatcher resigned from his post as magistrate — a person who signs arrest warrants, approves some search warrants and sets bonds — on Dec. 2. The resignation was announced by the office of Hatcher’s father, Blount County Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher.
Retired District Attorney General for the 4th Judicial District in Sevierville, Al Schmutzer Jr., is prosecuting the case against Dustin Hatcher. When contacted Wednesday, Schmutzer said he could not comment on the pending charges.
According to Blount County Jail records Dustin Hatcher was free at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday on a $25,000 bond. His father, Tom Hatcher, was listed as a surety on the bond.
Dustin Hatcher is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. Aug. 20 in Blount County General Sessions Court.