RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Rutherford County is now the focus of a national podcast. “Serial” is reporting on hundreds, if not thousands, of kids who were wrongfully locked up at the Rutherford County Detention Center.

A local radio reporter is partnering with The New York Times to tell the story. The author/host of the podcast is Nashville Public Radio Senior Reporter Meribah Knight.

Her exposure of Rutherford County Judge Donna Davenport putting kids in the detention center is now in the national spotlight. Davenport has since retired.

She’s hosting a four part series podcast called “The Kids of Rutherford County.” This is helping to spotlight the years of alleged mistreatment in the Rutherford County Juvenile Justice System.

“This was really a story about power, about one judge this county had ever had,” Knight said. “These kids were really ground up in this system and spat out.”

Knight discovered Davenport created policy that could send kids directly to jail for any crime. After interviewing kids as young as 7 who were incarcerated, she saw the toll this left on them.

The 2016 arrests of 11 Black elementary school children for allegedly witnessing a fight between two small children inspired her to do the story. Knight also discovered 278 kids received part of $5.1 million in restitution.

If you would like to hear the podcast, click here.