FROM THE RADIO NEWS DEPARTMENT

The Man Accused Of Shooting A Local Weather Man With A Crossbow Has Plead Guilty To Several Charges In Washington County, Tennessee. Gerald Taylor Who Injured News Channel 11 Meteorologist Rob Williams Plead Guilty To Aggravated Criminal Trespassing, Aggravated Assault, And Perjury. The Charges Stem From A June 4th Break-In At Williams’ Home In Johnson City. Taylor’s Attorney Said He Will Apply For Judicial Diversion For His Client. If That’s Approved, Taylor Will Serve No Jail Time. He Will Only Serve Probation. A Sentencing Hearing Is Set For April 19th.

The List Of Qualified Applicants For The Upcoming 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Vacancy In Tennessee Has Been Narrowed Down To Three Candidates. The Applicants Still In Line For The Job Are Stacy Street, Gene Scott, And Steve Finney. The Vacancy Was Created When Longtime Criminal Court Judge Lynn Brown Announced His Retirement In December, Effective At The End Of March. Once The Interviews Are Complete, The List Will Be Narrowed Down To Three And The Governor Will Select A New Judge Within 60 Days From That Point.

Kingsport City Officials Have Given The Go-Ahead For The Design Of A Proposed 4.1 Million Dollar Football Stadium Expansion. The Plan Calls For Adding One-Thousand New Seats, Widening Aisles And Installing Hand Sections In The Existing Seat Sections. The Existing Grandstand Would Have A New Structure Built At Its Back With A New Press Box, Midlevel Covered Concourse And Upper Covered Concourse. Construction Could Begin In March And Be Completed By The August 22nd Season Opener. The Proposal Is Expected To Go Before The Board Of Mayor And Aldermen February 25th.

The general sessions court judge in Carter County has ordered that arrest warrants and other court records are not to be released. Circuit Court Clerk John Paul Mathes told the Elizabethton Star his office was not getting warrants and other paperwork that had been routinely sent in by the sheriff’s department. An order issued by Judge John Walton to the sheriff stated that all paperwork pertaining to the general sessions and juvenile courts were to come to him and one other person he specified. Kent Flanagan of the Tennessee Committee on Open Records said judges must cite state law in seeking to close public records.

A Johnson City Man Has Been Ordered To Spend Time Behind Bars After Being Convicted Of Drug And Firearms Charges. 45 Year Old Mario Valazquez Was Found Guilty Of Distribution And Conspiracy To Distribute Cocaine, Being An Illegal Immigrant In Possession Of A Firearm And Ammunition, And Possession Of A Firearm In Furtherance Of A Drug Trafficking Offense. He Was One Of 36 Defendants Indicted For Operating A Large-Scale Cocaine Trafficking Organization Which Was Responsible For The Distribution Of Large Amounts Of The Drug In The Tri Cities Area Over An Extended Period Of Time. Valazquez Was Sentenced To 65 Years In Prison.

Washington County Tennessee Mayor Dan Eldridge Is Looking Into A Financial Plan That Would Help Streamline The County Finance System. Eldridge Wants In On Coming State Legislation Known As The County Financial Management System Act Of 2013. The County Currently Subscribes To A Financial Plan Adopted By The General Assembly In 1957. If And When Legislators Update This System, The County Can Centralize Its Accounting, Budgeting, Purchasing, Payroll And Debit, Cash And Grant Management Into A Newly Created Finance Department. The Timeline For The Potential Change Has Not Been Determined.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Said One Of Two Brothers Involved In A Shooting Incident Has Died While The Other Remains In A Local Hospital. It Happened Around Seven Thirty Thursday Night At A Home On Bowman Creek Road In Blountville. According To Witness Statements, Daniel Baker Stood Up And Shot David Baker In The Chest, Then Shot Himself In The Head. Daniel Baker Died This Afternoon. His Brother, David Baker, Is Listed In Stable Condition.

Bristol Virginia Police Are Investigating A Shooting Incident. Authorities Say At Least One Shot Was Fired At A Moving Train Wednesday Afternoon As The Locomotive Left The Rail Yard Bound For Roanoke. The Crew In The Train’s Cab Noticed A Man Near Trees Close To An Auto Auction Business. The Bullet Shattered A Glass On The Left-Side Window Of The Train. No One Was Injured In The Ordeal. Anyone With Information About The Shooting Should Call Bristol Virginia Police.

A Lafollette Tennessee Man Who Was Shot During A Home Invasion Robbery In Johnson City This Week Is Now Facing Charges. 27 Year Old Lam Duc Hoang Is Charged With Aggravated Burglary And Theft Under Five Hundred Dollars. He Allegedly Broke Into A Home And The Resident Found Him In A Bedroom Rummaging Through Drawers. The Homeowner Ordered Him At Gunpoint To The Floor And When Hoan Made A Sudden Move Toward The Inside Of His Jacket, He Was Shot In The Leg. He Was Taken To A Local Hospital For Treatment And Later Transported To Jail Where He’s Being Held On A 51-Thousand Dollars Bond. He Will Be Arraigned This Morning In General Sessions Court.