Accused Kidnapper Tad Cummins Gets New Lawyer, Will Remain Jailed

NASHVILLE, TN — Tad Cummins, the ex-Maury County teacher accused of kidnapping a former student, will remain jailed for the time being, a federal magistrate ruled Thursday.

Cummins, who is charged with kidnapping a 15-year-old former student and taking her cross-country for more than a month before his arrest in a remote part of northern California, is being held in Henderson County, Ky. and argued in a motion filed in federal court his attorney had to make a four-hour round trip to advise him while he's in jail. He further alleged that officials were preventing him and his attorney from holding private meetings.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

However, after filing his request for release ahead of his trial, Cummins' attorney, Dumaka Shabazz, filed a motion to be relieved as counsel and Cummins filed a subsequent motion appointing Nashville attorney Brent Horst as his new attorney.

The magistrate accepted the change of attorney but denied Cummins' motion for release.

Image via Siskiyou County, Calif. Sheriff's Department