WTFM Local News

AN ALTERCATION BETWEEN TWO BRISTOL MEN AT A CITY RESIDENCE HAS LANDED ONE MAN IN JAIL ACCORDING TO BRISTOL POLICE, THE TWO HAD BEEN DRINKING BEER AT A HOME WHEN THE ARGUMENT TURNED DEADLY. 47 YEAR OLD FRANK ALLEN ROYAL IS ACCUSED OF ATTACKING STEVE NELMS WITH A PICK AXE. NELMS SUSTAINED WOUNDS ON HIS BACK, ARM, AND STOMACH. A WITNESS REPORTEDLY TOOK THE AXE FROM ROYAL AND HELD HIM UNTIL POLICE ARRIVED. NELMS WAS TRANSPORTED TO BRISTOL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER WHERE HE WAS TREATED AND RELEASED. ROYAL WAS ARRESTED A SHORT TIME LATER AT HIS RESIDENCE. THE INVESTIGATION IS CONTINUING.

IT TOOK JUST 90 MINUTES FOR A SULLIVAN COUNTY JURY TO CONVICT A BRISTOL MAN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING HIS ESTRANGED WIFE. 47 YEAR OLD DOUG YOUNG WAS CONVICTED ON A SINGLE COUNT OF AGGRAVATED RAPE. HE TOOK THE STAND YESTERDAY TELLING THE JURY IT WAS CONSENSUAL, BUT THEY APPARENTLY DIDN’T BUY IT. HE FACES UP TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE ELIGIBILITY WHEN HE’S SENTENCED ON OCTOBER 10TH IN SULLIVAN COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT. MEANWHILE, HE WILL GO BACK TO TRIAL LATER ON CHARGES OF ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPING, FOUR COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED RAPE AND ONE COUNT EACH OF AGGRAVATED BURGLARY AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. THOSE STEM FROM YOUNG ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTING HIS WIFE AND TAKING HER TO GEORGIA FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE BEING ARRESTED.

Rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay doused an East Tennessee wildfire near the North Carolina border. The Greeneville Sun reported that about 75 firefighters were sent home Tuesday morning after soaking rain that began falling on Monday doused the fire that burned about 1,800 acres at the edge of the Cherokee National Forest in Cocke County. The blaze was started by a lighting strike and was discovered on Aug. 21. It burned in rugged backcountry and was difficult to contain. National Forest Service spokeswoman Cheryl Summers said the fire was only about 50 percent contained when the rain began falling, putting it out. Forecasters said the mountain region of East Tenn. was suffering from extreme drought conditions because of a dry summer.

A GREENEVILLE MAN HAS BEEN ORDERED TO SERVE NEARLY 30 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER BEING CONVICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES. 34 YEAR OLD BRIAN RUSSELL GRICE WAS ACCUSED OF RECEIVING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ELECTRONICALLY AND USING IT TO PURSUADE A CHILD TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY. HE MUST ALSO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE ON SUPERVISED PROBATION. U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE RONNIE GREER ALSO ORDERED GRICE TO REFRAIN FROM USING COMPUTERS OR THE INTERNET AND TO NOT POSSESS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN THE FUTURE. THE JUDGE ALSO SAID HE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT GRICE BE ALLOWED TO COMPLETE CHILD SEXUAL OFFENDER TREATMENT WHILE SERVING HIS PRISON SENTENCE. DURING THE COURT PROCEEDING, GRICE APOLOGIZED TO THE VICTIM AND HER FAMILY.

FOUR NORTH CAROLINA MEN ACCUSED OF ROBBING A CARROLL COUNTY VIRGINIA MAN AT GUNPOINT ARE BEHIND BARS. 20 YEAR OLD COREY SMITH, 23 YEAR OLD WILLIAM MUSIC, 20 YEAR OLD CHRISTOPHER MUSIC, AND 20 YEAR OLD JAMES MUSIC, ALL OF MOUNT AIRY NORTH CAROLINA, ARE CHARGED WITH BREAK AND ENTER WHILE ARMED WITH A DEADLY WEAPON. THEY’RE ACCUSED OF ROBBING A MAN AT GUNPOINT ON BUFFALO ROAD YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, SHOOTING HIS TIRES OUT, AND THEN FLEEING THE SCENE. ALL FOUR MEN WERE ARRESTED SEVERAL HOURS LATER. NO COURT DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED.

A FORMER TAZEWELL TENNESSEE BANK TELLER WHO ADMITTED TO STEALING MONEY FROM HER FORMER EMPLOYER HAS BEEN SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT IN GREENEVILLE. 24 YEAR OLD SHELLEY ROBERTS WAS ORDERED TO SPEND FIVE YEARS ON PROBATION PLUS PAY RESTITUTION AND COURT COSTS TOTALING OVER 67-HUNDRED DOLLARS. SHE PLED GUILTY EARLIER TO AN INFORMATION CHARGE OF FEDERAL BANK FRAUD. SHE WAS A TELLER AT ANDREW JOHNSON BANK IN MORRISTOWN FOR TWO YEARS.

TRIPLE A AUTOMOBILE CLUB IS PROJECTING A SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS TRAVELING DURING THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND. NEARLY 34.4 MILLION AMERICANS WILL TRAVEL 50 MILES OR MORE FROM HOME THIS HOLIDAY. THAT’S DOWN ABOUT ONE PERCENT. APPROXIMATELY 839-THOUSAND VIRGINIAS WILL BE AMONG THOSE TRAVELING.

THE WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA SHERIFF’S OFFICE STILL BELIEVES FOUL PLAY WAS INVOLVED IN THE DEATH OF A DAMASCUS MAN. THE DEATH OF JOHN GRAYBEAL WOLFE, JR. REMAINS A MYSTERY AFTER HIS BICYCLE WAS FOUND ALONG THE CREEPER TRAIL NEAR MARKER 15. IN MID JANUARY 2007, KAYAKERS FOUND WOLFE’S BODY DOWNSTREAM FROM WHERE HIS BICYCLE WAS DISCOVERED. AN AUTOPSY REVEALED THE VICTIM HAD WATER IN HIS LUNGS. DETECTIVE JAMIE BLEVINS SAYS OFFICIALS JUST WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT EVENTS LEAD UP TO THE DEATH OF WOLFE.

TESTIMONY IS EXPECTED TO WRAP UP THIS MORNING IN THE TRIAL OF A MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING ANOTHER MAN OUTSIDE A JOHNSON CITY MOTEL NEARLY THREE YEARS AGO. 28 YEAR OLD JASON AUSTIN IS CHARGED WITH FIRST DEGREE MURDER IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF BRIAN RICKER OUTSIDE THE DAYS INN ON BROWNS MILL ROAD IN 2005. AUSTIN TESTIFIED YESTERDAY THAT HE NEVER MEANT TO KILL ANYONE, ONLY TO CONFRONT THE MAN HE SAYS POINTED A GUN AT HIM AND HIS PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND WHILE CHASING THEM THROUGH TOWN A WEEK EARLIER. AUSTIN CLAIMS WHEN HE QUESTIONED RICKER ABOUT IT HE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF SOMETHING SHINY, THOUGHT IT WAS A GUN AND OUT OF FEAR, HE DREW HIS GUN AND FIRED IN BRIAN’S DIRECTION. PROSECUTORS HAVE INTRODUCED INTO EVIDENCE RICKER’S KEY CHAIN. AUSTIN’S CO-DEFENDANT, DANNY GREENE IS SERVING TIME AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER. A JURY COULD DECIDE AUSTIN’S FATE LATER TODAY.

THE WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA SHERIFF’S OFFICE BELIEVES FOUL PLAY WAS INVOLVED IN THE DEATH OF A DAMASCUS MAN OVER NINE MONTHS AGO. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS CONTINUING IT’S INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF JOHN GRAYBEAL WOLFE, JR. WHOSE BICYCLE WAS FOUND ALONG THE VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL NEAR MARKER 15. IN MID JANUARY 2007, KAYAKERS FOUND WOLFE’S BODY DOWNSTREAM FROM WHERE HIS BICYCLE WAS DISCOVERED. AN AUTOPSY REVEALED THE VICTIM HAD WATER IN HIS LUNGS. SHERIFF FRED NEWMAN BELIEVES THERE ARE PERSONS WHO HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING WOLFE’S DEATH. HE ASKS THAT THESE PERSONS COME FORWARD. A REWARD FOR INFORMATON LEADING TO THE ARREST AND CONVICTION OF THE PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR WOLFE’S DEATH IS BEING OFFERED.