Tuesday’s Election Saw Voters Go To The Polls In Strong Numbers. In The Tennessee House, First Congressional District Incumbent Republican Phil Roe, A Johnson City Republican, Has Easily Won Re-Election After Defeating Democratic Challenger Alan Woodruff. In The Third House District, Republican Timothy Hill Has Won Over Democrat Leah Kirk. In District Seven, Incumbent Matthew Hill, A Jonesboro Republican, Has Been Reelected, Defeating Democratic Contender Nancy Fischman. In Unicoi County, Voters Defeated A Wheel Tax And Voted No To Having Package Stores. Incumbent Mayor Johnny Lynch Has Beaten Challenger John Mosley. Meanwhile, In Virginia’s Ninth District Congressional Race, Incumbent Republican Morgan Griffith Has Kept His Seat, Defeating Democratic Challenger Anthony Flaccavento.
A Big Stone Gap Woman Who Played A Role In The June Robbery Of A Duffield Bank Has Been Ordered To Spend Time Behind Bars. 27 Year Old Tabitha Sullivan Entered A Guilty Plea Just A Week After She Was Arrested For Her Role In The Robbery Of Bb&T Bank On Duff-Patt Road. A Judge Ordered Her To Serve A 10 Year Sentence With Seven Years And Six Months Suspended. She Was Also Ordered To Do Community Service As Well As To Pay Both A Fine And Restitution.
Two Johnson City Residents Are Behind Bars After Police Say They Tried To Shoplift Items From A Local Business. Ivan Navarro And Brandy Nave Are Each Charged With Robbery. The Charge Stem From An Alleged Incident At Family Dollar On South Roan Street.
The Man Reportedly Stole The Clerk’s Cell Phone. The Pair Was Located A Short Time Later And Arrested. Navarro Is Being Held In The Washington County Detention Center Under A 50-Thousand Dollar Bond, While Nave Has A 20-Thousand Dollar Bond. The Two Will Appear In Washington County Sessions Court Later Today.
A Traffic Stop In Washington County Virginia Has Turned Ugly For Two Out Of Town Men. 21 Year Old Maxx David White Of Midlothian Virginia Is Charged With Two Felony Counts Of Possession Of A Schedule One And Two Drug While, 19 Year Old Conner Rae Mcalpin Is Charged With Possession Of Marijuana And Released On A Summons. Deputy Steve Mcvey Clocked White’s Vehicle At 79 Mph. A Quantity Of Lsd, Ecstasy And Marijuana Was Allegedly Located In The Vehicle. White Is Free On A Secured Bond.
Three More Lawsuits Have Reportedly Been Filed In Conjunction With Overcrowding Problems At The Greene County Jail. County Leaders Are Still Trying To Find Ways To Get The Jail Recertified By The State. The Greene County Courthouse And Workhouse Committee Is Looking At Several Other Locations For A Lockup Including The Old Magnavox Plant. The Committee Is Set To Meet Later This Week To Talk About The Next Step.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Is Investigating Three Separate Fires That Appear To Be The Result Of Arson. The First One Occurred Late Saturday At A Vacant Mobile Home On Little Springs Road. A Second Fire Occurred Early Sunday At A Home On Bradshaw Drive. The Third Blaze, A Brush Fire, Was Discovered Sunday Evening On Haun Road. Anyone With Information About These Fires Are Asked To Contact The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office.
A Piney Flats Helicopter Company Is Looking At Expanding. The Move By Bell Helicopter At Tri County Industrial Park Would Mean About 125 New Jobs To The Area. The Company Is Seeking 1.1 Million In Economic Incentives From The State And Sullivan County. Employees Would Be Looking At Making Between 17 And 25 Dollars An Hour. Bell Is Considering Purchasing A 41 Acre Parcel From The County At A Price Of 279-Thousand Dollars And An Adjacent Parcel From A Private Company. The Company Would In Turn, Invest A Total Of 11 Million Dollars In Real Estate And New Equipment. County Commissioners Will Consider The Sale Of Property Later This Month.
A Johnson City Man Accused Of Plotting To Abduct A Judge’s Wife And A Prosecutor’s Children Has Admitted To The Crime. 34 Year Old Shawn Allen Hughes Pled Guilty To Two Counts Of Solicitation To Commit Kidnapping And Two Counts Of Retaliation. He Was Sentenced To Six Years In Prison. Hughes Was Targeting Judge Robert Cupp’s Wife And Assistant District Attorney Erin Macardle’s Children After Apparently Being Angry About An Aggravated Rape Case In 2011 That Sentenced Him To Prison. Hughes Plan To Pay Someone To Have The Job Done Was Found Out About By Detention Officers.
The Superintendent Of The All-Female Inmate Facility Of The Johnson City Jail Has Been Placed On Administrative Leave With Pay. According To Police Chief Mark Sirois, Sam Garland Was Placed On Leave Around The First Of This Month While A Probe Into Alleged Violations At The Facility Are Investigated. Details About That Inquiry Have Not Been Made Public.
A Gate City Virginia Man Is Facing Charges Allegedly Involving A Minor. 49 Year Old Rosendo Rodriguez Is Charged With One Count Of Committing A Sex Act With A Child That Took Place Earlier This Year. Scott County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marcus Mcclung Said He Couldn’t Release Further Details Due To The Seriousness Of The Allegations Involved In The Case. A Court Date For Rodriguez Will Be Set At A Later Date.
A Bristol Tennessee Man Has Been Charged With Crimes Against A Minor. 29 Year old Richard Christopher Hale Was Indicted On 28 Charges Of Sex Crimes Again A 16 Year Old Girl. He Faces 15 Counts Of Aggravated Statutory Rape And 13 Counts Of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor. Hale Is Free On A 50-Thousand Dollar Bond And Will Be In Court On December 14th.
A Washington County Virginia Man Is Behind Bars Following The Theft Of A Pickup Truck. 32 Year Old Brian Nunley Of Abingdon Is Charged With Auto Theft. The Charge Stems From The Theft Of A Chevy S-10 Truck Stolen From The Washington County Service Authority Water Plant On U.S. Route 58. In Addition To The Truck, A Stihl Chainsaw And A Battery Were Taken. Nunley Admitted To The Auto Theft. He Is Being Held In The Southwest Virginia Regional Jail In Abingdon Without Bond. A Court Date For Nunley Is Pending.
Voters Are Heading To The Polls Today To Elect A President. The Polls Have Indicated The Race Between Democratic President Barack Obama And Republican Challenger Mitt Romney Is A Close One. Other Races Locally Include Tennessee House And Senate Seats Up For Grabs. Hawkins County Voters Will Decide On Liquor By The Drink In Rogersville, Mount Carmel And Church Hill. In Virginia, Voters Will Decide On Former Republican Governor George Allen Or Former Democratic Governor Tim Kaine For The Hotly Contested Senate Seat. 9th District Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith Is Hoping To Retain His Seat Against Democratic Challenger Anthony Flaccavento. Virginia Voters Will Also Have To Decide On Two Proposed Amendments To The State Constitution. If Approved, The Amendments Would Go Into Effect January 1st Of Next Year. The Polls Open In Tennessee At 8 O’clock And Close At Eight Tonight. Polls In Virginia Opened At 6am And Will Close At Seven O’clock This Evening. We Will Bring You Election Return Coverage.
East Tennessee State University Has Announced Plans To Expand Offerings In The Model City Next Year. The University Plans To Bring More Than 60 Courses To Kingsport’s Academic Village, Including Courses In Nursing, Business And Education. Initially, ETSU Will Lease Four Classrooms In The Regional Center For Applied Technology Building With Plans To Move Into A Permanent Location Nearby In The Future.
A Former U.S. Magistrate Judge For The Western District Of Virginia Has Died. Glen Williams Was Best Known In Southwest Virginia As Simply Judge Williams, Was Appointed To The Federal Bench By President Gerald Ford In 1976. He Was Known For Reopening The Federal Courtroom In Big Stone Gap. He Passed Away At The Age Of 92.
Good News For Kingsport’s Area Transit System. For The Second Year In A Row, Kats Has Seen A Record Number Of Riders. This Is The 18th Year For Kats Which Operates Six Fixed Bus Routes Monday Through Friday From 7:30 To 5:30 Throughout The Model City. Total Ridership Grew 16.4 Percent From 2011 To This Year. Assistant City Manager Chris Mccart Reportedly Said They Have Listened To The Customers And Provided Vehicles That Are Comfortable, Easy To Access And Offer Routes That Are Accommodating To Their Time As Well As The Places They Need To Go.
A Federal Lawsuit Has Been Filed In U.S. District Court In Greeneville Against The Johnson City Board Of Education. Daniele Madison, An African-American, Filed The Suit On Behalf Of Her Son, Claiming The 18 Year Old Suffered From Mental And Emotional Distress While Attending Class At Indian Trail Middle School. The Lawsuit Claims Race Discrimination And Seeks Unspecified Compensatory Damages. No Date Has Been Set As To When The Lawsuit Will Be Heard.
Hawkins County Educational Leaders Have Approved Funding For Soccer Teams At Both County High Schools This Spring. The Board Of Education Approved More Than 40-Thousand Dollars In New Spending At Volunteer And Cherokee High Schools. The Money Will Be Used To Pay For Goals, Uniforms, Balls, Coaches, Referees And Other Equipment Necessary To Get Started.
A Vehicle/Pedestrian Accident In Hawkins County Has Left One Person Critically Injured. According To The Tennessee Highway Patrol, 67 Year Old Roger Cross Was Crossing The Intersection Of Gibson And Locust Street When He Was Struck By A Vehicle Being Driven By 72 Year Old William Cupp. Cupp’s Head Struck The Right Side Of The Windshield And Then The Pavement After He Fell. He Was Air Lifted To Holston Valley Medical Center In Kingsport Where He Remains In Critical Condition. No Charges Have Been Filed At This Time.