A judge in Newport has struck a deal to get ethics charges against him dropped. In an order filed Tuesday, Cocke County General Sessions Court Judge John Bell agreed to never direct defendants in his court to a private probation firm owned by his brother-in-law or anyone else with family ties. Bell spent six hours testifying before the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary on Monday. Late in the day, an agreement brokered by Bell’s attorney,Gordon Ball, and counsel for the Judiciary Court was signed. The husband of Bell’s sister – Tommy Large – owns East Tennessee Probation, Inc. Large had sat next to Bell in court, acting as chief of probation. In return, the court agreed to forego allegations in the complaint against Bell.