The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled against a local businessman, saying prosecutors do not have to give Sid Stanton a pre-trial diversion in the animal cruelty cases against him.A pre-trial diversion is essentially a free ride. It would mean the animal cruelty cases against Stanton would be set aside before going to trial – with no requirement for him to make a plea. If Stanton avoided any more legal trouble for a set amount of time, usually two or three years, the charges would be dropped.Local prosecutors, however, do not want to grant Stanton a pre-trial diversion.