Man accused of sneaking guns and ammo into new Nashville jail moved from solitary confinement

By JEREMY FINLEY

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — There’s a surprise development in the case of the man accused of dressing as a construction worker in order to hide guns and ammunition inside the Downtown Detention Center when it was under construction.

A federal judge was hearing a request from Alex Friedmann’s legal team on Wednesday to improve his conditions in prison. Friedmann is awaiting trial at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison and successfully won a court order to be moved out of solitary confinement. Friedmann’s trial is set to begin in February.

Then he filed a motion to hold prison officials in contempt of court, saying he was barely out of his cell after he was moved.

Last night in court, prison administrators agreed to allow him to work at the prison 4 to 6 hours a day.

Friedmann’s attorney argued he should not have spent more than a year in solitary confinement and his charges don’t warrant that kind of segregation.

Attorneys for the Department of Correction argued if he’s introduced into the general population, there’s a greater chance he could try to escape as work crews frequently leave.

“Regarding the court hearing in Mr. Friedmann’s lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Correction, (Davidson County) Sheriff (Daron) Hall stated that he thought Mr. Friedmann belonged in restrictive housing. While the Sheriff is entitled to his opinion, it conflicts with the findings of a federal District Court Judge, and with state prison officials, who agreed to move Mr. Friedmann out of maximum security confinement. Sheriff Hall’s opinion also conflicts with his own staff, who rated Mr. Friedmann as ‘medium security’ on the DCSO’s own website. The Sheriff continues to try to poison the jury pool in advance of Mr. Friedmann’s criminal trial, which is an improper exercise of his authority,” Friedmann said in a statement.

“I have spent over 30 years in the field of corrections and the primary responsibility in housing a prisoner appropriately is to ensure safety and security for all involved. Alex Friedmann’s previous actions inside our correctional institution clearly demonstrates he is a threat to escape and harm; therefore, the highest level of security is warranted,” Hall said in a statement to News4.

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