RonMeroneyWatch

Meroney articles from Commercial Appeal and East High news site

TV anchor charged in child statutory rape
From The Commercial Appeal, May 3, 2006
By Lawrence Buser
May 3, 2006
"Good Morning Memphis" anchor Ron Meroney was arrested this afternoon on a warrant from Maryland charging him with statutory rape of a child under 14, authorities said.
Meroney, 69, was arrested without incident at his home by agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shortly before 4 p.m., according to spokesman Jennifer Johnson.
He was taken to the Shelby County Jail and will appear in General Sessions Criminal Court as early as Thursday to face extradition.
Meroney was indicted in December by a grand jury in Wicomico County in southeastern Maryland where the county seat is Salisbury.
The indictment was sealed, according to the arrest warrant, and prosecutors there could not be reached late today.
According to a FOX 13 Web site, Meroney’s career has spanned five decades. He has been in Memphis since at least 1998. In the late 1950s, he replaced TV legend Wink Martindale on Channel 13’s "Top Ten Dance Party." He has since worked in a number of markets throughout the country in both radio and television.
Meroney lived in Maryland from 1972-85 and also has lived in Florida, according to an online public records data base.

Additional stories on this subject are below.


Charges against Fox anchor date from 1974
From The Commercial Appeal, May 5, 2006
By Lawrence Buser
May 5, 2006
Fox 13 anchor Ron Meroney was released Thursday on $50,000 bond after his arrest on statutory rape charges filed against him in Maryland.
The indictment stems from an alleged incident with a child under age 14 more than 30 years ago, according to authorities in Wicomico County, where Meroney faced similar charges in 1984.
Meroney, 69, made a brief appearance in General Sessions Criminal Court and will return to court May 16. In the meantime, he may surrender to Maryland authorities, seek a bond there and begin his defense.
"Ron denies the charges and is anxious to go up there (to Maryland) to retain a lawyer and fight the charges," said his local attorney Mark Mesler, who described his client's mood as "upbeat." "He's trying to make his arrangements."
Meroney, host of "Good Morning Memphis," is accused of having sex with a child under 14 between June and October of 1974. Maryland authorities would not comment on why the charges were filed only now.
Despite the long passage of time involved, the Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center "thoroughly investigated the case," said Maryland State Police Cpl. Ryan Pradon of Salisbury, the seat of Wicomico County.
Statutory rape carries up to 20 years in prison.
WHBQ-TV Fox 13 General Manager John Koski said the station became aware of Meroney's indictment when he was arrested Wednesday. He said Ernie Freeman began substituting for Meroney Thursday, but otherwise declined to discuss his status.
It's not the first time Meroney has had legal troubles in Maryland, where he lived and worked from 1972 to 1985.
According to court records in Towson, which is near Baltimore, seven criminal charges were filed against Meroney in July 1984 that included child sexual abuse, assault and rape.
All were dismissed a month later with the exception of a charge of third-degree sexual offense in which he was given probation before judgment, a resolution in which a defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty but with the final judgment technically suspended. The case can be expunged after a specified period of good behavior.
Third-degree sexual offense involves someone at least age 21 who engages in a sexual act with someone age 14 or 15.
Meroney has been at Fox 13 since December 1995 after running a radio station near St. Petersburg, Fla., that played pop-style Christian music. In the late 1950s, he replaced well-known TV personality Wink Martindale on Channel 13's "Top Ten Dance Party."


Additional stories on this subject are below.


Letter alleges greater claims against Meroney
From www.wmctv.com
May 12, 2006 08:53 AM

The Memphis newsman charged with raping a child is facing even harsher allegations by his accuser. Now, he awaits a trial date in Maryland.
The mystery surrounding this charge is no clearer today than it was a week ago. But this letter, which led to Meroney's arraignment here, makes much stronger allegations than even the grand jury in Baltimore.
The letter, obtained by Action News Five, alerted Governor Bredesen to Meroney's presence in Memphis. Written by a woman who calls him her quote "uncle," Meroney's accuser says, this man has many victims, including my five brothers and sisters," and "please do what you can to expedite his extradition and to protect the children of Memphis."
"I am sure he is heavily involved in his Church as he was while he was molesting all of us. Please warn the people of his church," the letter continues.
At Meroney's church, the pastor expressed support for Meroney and his family. And - according to the general manager at FOX 13 - Meroney is still on staff, although the company will not discuss details of the charge against him.
An internet search pulled up this blog, purportedly written by a Fox13 employee who called Meroney "kind, generous, and professional" and "one of the elder statesmen in the newsroom."
The employee wrote, "this morning I looked over at his desk, where pictures of his smiling family are proudly displayed. I can't even imagine what they're going through."
Again, Meroney only faces one charge of statutory rape in Maryland. To our knowledge he has not been charged for the incidents mentioned in that letter. We tried to reach Meroney and his lawyer for comment, but were unable to do so.
Additional stories on this subject are below.


Meroney's lawyer questions prosecution
From www.wmctv.com
May 12, 2006 05:43 PM
Meroney Investigation: Darrell Phillips

Meroney's lawyers are talking to prosecutors in Maryland today, trying to figure out exactly how serious they are about going to trial before Meroney heads back to the state to surrender himself.
Memphis TV news anchor Ron Meroney's lawyers say that until an angry accuser sent her warning letter to Governor Phil Bredesen, it wasn't clear that Maryland prosecutors had any interest in extraditing or trying him on the three-decade old rape charge.
"One of the things that I think the lawyer up there was going to try to find out was... Does Maryland really want to prosecute this case?" said Mark Mesler by phone.
"I'll tell you that when we first heard there may be allegations like this, one of the things we were advised is Maryland was not going to extradite him."
So Meroney waited, knowing - Mesler says - that to return to Maryland meant he would have to surrender himself over to authorities instantly. Maryland prosecutors tell us Meroney still has not turned himself in and that they are working on a Governor's warrant in the event that extradition proceedings begin and Meroney resists. Meroney's lawyer tells us that won't happen. And the lawyer takes offense to the letter, written by Meroney's accuser, making allegations that "this man has many victims, including my five brothers and sisters."
"You would assume that the authorities would have contacted these other alleged victims because I am certain that she would have brought their names up to them when this investigation started and I am assuming that they wanted no part of coming forward if anything in fact happened," says Mesler.
Ron Meroney - he says - adamantly denies all of the charges. We've been emailing with the Maryland prosecutor who is bringing these charges. When asked about Mark Mesler's claim, that it wasn't clear that they were necessarily interested in moving forward with Meroney's extradition, Wicomico County D.A. Davis Ruark wrote that he won't engage in a public dialogue over this.

posted by H. S. Daly @ 7:46 AM