D.A. Reveals More Details Surrounding Judge's Fantasy Tape

District Attorney Steve Bebb reveals more about the timeline leading up to a judge's resignation and admits he asked the TBI to do an inquiry to see if the judge who recorded his secret fantasies was subjected to blackmail.

The timing was certainly questionable, admits Bebb. Just days after Judge John Hagler rules in the Bradley County Sheriff's Office lawsuit, a 2-year-old tape of the judge revealing his private fantasies re-surfaces at a police department in another city.

Bebb says many members of the community and the media have questioned whether the person on the losing end of that lawsuit, Sheriff Tim Gobble, had anything to do with the tape reappearing.

"From all I can find out, it was totally coincidental," Bebb says. "I don't believe that anyone here had anything to do with leaking that tape."

At a news conference Thursday, Bebb reveals the time line, as he understands it, leading up to the resignation letter submitted Tuesday by Judge Hagler. Bebb says it all began in November 2005, when an informant brought an audio tape to the Chattanooga Police Department.

Bebb initially refers to that person as a confidential informant, and later reveals that the person worked in Hagler's office, and eventually says it was Hagler's secretary who discovered the tape and brought it to police.

"His secretary discovered this on a tape, one side of a tape, which there was dictation of a case, and turning it over, found this material," Bebb says.

That was November 2005. Chattanooga police spokesperson Kim Noorbergen says they immediately began investigating the contents of the tape, and because of the nature of what was said on it, they took the tape to the FBI. Noorbergen says no criminal evidence was found that Hagler ever acted on any of the things mentioned on the tape.

On December 8th 2005 the case was closed.

But two years later, in November 2007, Noorbergen says Chattanooga police intelligence investigators were reviewing files, and decided to re-open the case. Chattanooga brought it to the TBI this time.

Bebb says within days, the TBI approached him with the tape, and he had no choice but to tell Hagler.

"He immediately acknowledged that it was his voice on the tape," Bebb says. "He asked me at that point, what do we do now? I told him that's pretty much up to you because I have to turn this over to the court judiciary."

Hagler opted to submit his resignation. Bebb decided to spare the judge the public humiliation and didn't inform the court judiciary. The following day, Bebb says someone leaked the tape to the media. Bebb says he called Hagler to warn him the circumstances had changed.

Hagler then offered a public statement to the media saying, "I have not heard the recording or seen the tape. But I believe it to be a private communication made by me for my private use... I have committed no crime. I have done nothing wrong except to cause great embarrassment to my family, friends, and the State Judiciary. I have tendered my resignation because of this embarrassment and to leave no room for anyone to reasonably question my integrity as a judge."

His resignation goes into effect December 31st.

But as for what's on the tape that could lead to a judge giving up his 17-year career on the bench, Bebb refused to say, and wouldn't even say whether the judge could have been charged had he acted on those fantasies. Bebb suggested the judge "retire with as much dignity as he can manage." And he's asking the public leave private matters, private.

"It's a demon that he has wrestled with for a long time," Bebb says. "It has nothing to do with any case... John needs to address his problem and that's the bottom line."

But the explanation and resignation isn't sitting well with everyone in the community. Members of the 10th District bar association met and voted to ask the U.S. Marshall's Office to investigate the details surrounding the leak of the tape. They're also asking Hagler to reconsider his resignation.