Tennessee state senator arrested for 3rd time in 2 months

An outgoing Tennessee state senator is not going away quietly.

Jim Summerville, a 66-year-old Republican from Dickson, was arrested twice over the weekend over incidents involving his neighbor, police said.

On Friday, police said, Summerville was arrested and charged with stalking neighbor Cecilia Donaven. He was later released on bail.

Summerville, whose term in the Tennessee Senate is up later this year, was arrested again Saturday on assault charges after allegedly leaving jail and threatening Donaven. This time he was released on $10,000 bond on the condition he would stay away from Donaven.

Donaven told WSMV-TV that Summerville has repeatedly harassed her, thrown toilet paper at her home and shined flashlights in her windows and at people coming in and out of her house.

"Every minute I'm in this house, he's watching me," Donaven said. "Every minute, he wants to see what I'm doing."

She called police after Summerville allegedly held a sign facing her house that read, "Just keep it up, you've been warned."

"Every minute, I don't know what I'm coming home to," Donaven added. "I would just like him to live his life on his property and leave me alone. I am very frightened of him."

In a statement, Summerville denied the allegations and said he plans to sue the police department.

"The City of Dickson Police Department is engaging a systematic campaign of harassment," his statement read. "(Stalking! At my age?) Once these charges are resolved in court, I shall be suing the City of Dickson. Settlement negotiations will start at one million dollars."

In August, Summerville lost his bid for re-election in the Republican primary. Last month, he was arrested after several Dickson residents complained the one-term senator was sitting and drinking in their yards.

"Over the past few weeks, we've been receiving several complaints from his neighbors about the harassing and stalking," Lt. Todd Christian told the Tennessean.

Officers were called to the scene "after witnesses said an intoxicated male was walking down the street with a lawn-chair," Christian told the newspaper.

Summerville was booked at the Dickson County jail and released on $2,000 bond. He was also cited for carrying an open container.

Sally McCoy, another neighbor, said the tensions with Summerville began when residents complained that his dogs were wandering the neighborhood.

"Everybody else follows the codes, and he just seems to do what he wants to do," McCoy told WSMV-TV.

It's not the first time Summerville has stirred up controversy.

In 2013, The Associated Press reports, Summerville proposed a measure to eliminate affirmative-action initiatives from higher education institutions in Tennessee.

"After the legislation failed, Summerville threatened GOP lawmakers who voted against it, saying they would face repercussions in this year's election," the AP said.

Summerville was also criticized for an email he sent to the chairwoman of the Legislature's black caucus, saying, "I don't give a rat's ass what the black caucus thinks."

Summerville later apologized for the email.