Sheriff's


Two versions of dispute involving a gun
Misty Renee Sams, 28, of Long Creek Road, in Parrottsville, said that on Saturday, June 20, she and a friend were in the parking lot of the former Winters Brothers store when Sams' uncle, Eric Scott Hux, 38, pulled up and allegedly started to fuss at her about some cows getting out, according to a report by Ricky Holt. He allegedly slapped Sams, she fell down, and he started punching her. Sams' friend tried to break up the fight and the relative allegedly pulled a knife on him. The friend then went to his vehicle, got a 380 pistol, fired one shot in the air, and told the relative to stop beating Sams. The relative allegedly got up on a four-wheeler and went home, and Sams' friend took her to a hospital emergency room to be treated for a head injury. However, in a separate report by Sgt. Armando Fontes, Hux alleged Sams "cussed him (and) got in his face," according to the report. Hux said he slapped Sams, and her friend began to argue with the uncle. Hux alleged that Sams' friend pulled a stainless steel gun with a red-looking handle and pointed it at Hux, who reportedly called the friend a coward and said, "Go ahead, shoot me, or better yet, shoot me in the back, you coward," according to the report. Officers attempted to find the friend who had an unknown birth date and address, the report stated.

Aggravated burglary alleged
Tanya Shults, 29, of Baxter Road, said she was on the balcony of her apartment on Monday, June 22, about 5 p.m., when someone entered her home through the unlocked front door and took several items with a total value of $5,410, according to a report by Deputy Sheriff Steve Johnson. Among the items allegedly stolen were: a safe with cash, personal papers, and medication; 40 Xbox games; a camcorder; 25 PlayStation games; an Xbox 360 with two wireless controllers; a Browning .38 caliber revolver; and a gold necklace.

Break-in, theft alleged
Rebecca Crum, of 1059 Cosby Highway, in Newport, told Deputy Sheriff Timothy N. Snapp on Wednesday, June 17, that sometime between June 12 and June 15, someone broke into her home by prying the back door open. Crum said a 50-inch flat screen TV worth $2,068 that she is renting from EZ Rentals was stolen. Crum allegedly said she was behind several payments on the TV, but had made a payment after the TV was stolen.

Child custody dispute on Father's Day weekend
A then three-year-old girl was the center of a custody dispute on Saturday, June 20. Mediation paperwork allegedly showed her father should have custody of the child on Father's Day, starting the day before, on Saturday, at 9 a.m., and ending Sunday, June 21, at 8 p.m. Apparently the mother refused to do so. Judge Bell advised investigating officer Deputy Sheriff Andy Tritt to try to get the mother to bring the little girl to the county courthouse. The father allegedly gave permission to the girl's grandmother and the grandmother's husband to pick up the child for the Father's Day weekend. "This is not the first incident reported involving the same situation," wrote Tritt in a report.

Vehicle overturns in accident; driver allegedly flees
Carl Lynn Finchum, 32, of 531 New Cave Church Road, in Newport, was allegedly driving a 1972 Ford Ranger pickup truck on Saturday, June 20, north on New Cave Church Road near the Cosby Highway when at about 12:45 a.m. he overcorrected the steering wheel when negotiating a curve. He then allegedly hit a bank and the pickup truck rolled over, landing in the road and blocking both the north and south lane of New Cave Church Road. There was severe damage to all areas of the vehicle, according to Randall Hartsell of the Cocke County Sheriff's Department. Finchum left the scene of the accident before officers arrived and was charged with that offense, Hartsell's report stated.

Car allegedly lands sideways in a creek
Edward E. McNenney, 68, of Lutz, Fla., said he was driving a 2005 Ford F-250 on Caney Creek Road near Highway 321 on Sunday, June 21, at about 6:30 p.m., when he ran off the road because he was not paying close enough attention to the road. The pickup truck landed sideways in a creek, according to a report by Deputy Sheriff Randy Cutshaw.

Hydroplaning on Interstate 40 blamed for accident
Ronald Ray Cline, 44, of 926 Reagan Springs Road, in Seymour, Tenn., was driving a 1998 Ford Explorer SUV on Sunday, June 21, at about 7:40 a.m., headed east on Interstate 40 near mile marker 446 when his vehicle hit some standing water, causing it to hydroplane and then strike the median barrier. Cline was not injured, according to a report by Sgt. Tony Whitten.