Lawyer lands behind bars

Attorney Spence Bruner of Roane County was arrested for contempt of court on Wednesday.
According to an order from the Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville, Bruner was ordered to appear before a panel of the court on Sept. 18.
The court directed that a warrant be issued for his arrest after he failed to show up.
Bruner, of 211 Riggs Chapel Road, Harriman, was booked into the Roane County Jail at 11:16 a.m. He was released a short time later on a $5,000 bond.
According to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the 41-year-old Bruner failed to comply with orders of the court and the rules of appellate procedure.
He was ordered to appear before a panel of the court on Oct. 23 at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Knoxville.
He must show cause why he shouldn’t be held in contempt of court and punished. 
This isn’t the first time Bruner has faced disciplinary action in his legal career.
On March 25, 2011, he was temporarily suspended from practicing law. According to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, the suspension was “due to his substantial noncompliance with his monitoring agreement with the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program.”
Bruner was reinstated a month later after a hearing panel recommended the temporary suspension be dissolved. 
Bruner was also temporarily suspended in 2008 and censured in 2005.

Photo courtesy of the Roane County Sheriff's Office

The Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville has accused attorney Spence Bruner of failing to comply with orders of the court and the rules of appellate procedure.