DANDRIDGE (WATE) - A union governing council pledged to do background checks on all its hires after two convicted sex offenders were arrested at a job site in Dandridge.
Ricky Dean Moore, 49, and Michael David Sadler, 51, both of Knoxville, were holding a banner in a labor dispute at the First Baptist Church construction site when they were arrested on May 18. They're charged with violating the sex offender registration law.
The men were working for Mid-South Carpenters Regional Council.
A statement from Executive Secretary Treasurer James L. Kerley, released Tuesday, says in part, "We were unaware of the criminal backgrounds of the individuals hired to hold banners and have taken the banners down pending criminal background checks, which will be conducted on all individuals hired going forward. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the subcontractors on this job do not meet the generally accepted area standards."
The council governs six local unions and their approximate 6,000 members in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and parts of North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas and Florida.
