Police reports

Theft: NPD responded Feb. 14 to Weigel’s in regard to a theft of diesel. The manager stated the theft occurred on Feb. 10 when she states a driver for Super Ego came in to purchase diesel and they turned the pump on for him. He then filled up and when he came back to pay, his card was declined. The driver stated he was going to call the company to get the purchase authorized, but once he exited the store, he drove off.

Public intoxication/possession/unlawful drug paraphernalia: An NPD officer responded Feb. 15 to Fox and Hound Way regarding a male overdosed next to the roadway. Contact was made with James Ball, who was on the ground slumped over. He stated he did not need medical attention and had just left the methadone clinic. His speech was slurred, had trouble following simple directions and was unsteady on his feet. He was considered a danger to himself and others in his intoxicated condition and placed under arrest. Upon patting him down, a baggy containing .4 grams of suspected methamphetamine and three used syringes were found in his pants pocket. He was transported to Cocke County Jail without further incident.

Possible overdose: An officer responded Feb. 15 to an address on Lamon’s Circle for a male laying in the grass behind the residence. Contact was made with the male who was laying on his back and appeared to be overdosing on an unknown substance. When asked, the male said he had taken some Gabapentin and a couple of Hydrocodones a few hours ago. He was very disoriented and not sure where he was. One dose of Narcan was then administered by the responding officer but it did not affect him. EMS arrived and he was transported to Newport Medical Center for further evaluation.

Possible overdose: On Feb. 15 an officer responded to the Dollar General parking lot on Cosby Highway in reference to an overdose in a yellow Mustang. Upon arrival a person was observed unresponsive in the passenger seat. The officer administered one 4 mg dose of Narcan before removing the person from the vehicle and began a sternum rub until EMS arrived and he regained consciousness. He was transported to the hospital by EMS for further treatment.

Dispute: Police were dispatched to Dollar General in reference to an open 911 line. Dispatch advised they could hear an argument on the open line. Upon arrival, a customer was observed having an argument with a cashier. The customer stated earlier he purchased four Vanilla brand Visa gift cards for $500 each. However, when trying to use the cards, there was no money on them. He provided receipts that matched the gift cards indicating he made the purchase and Dollar General did not activate the cards. He stated the cashier did issue him a refund for one of the cards but refused to issue a refund on the other three cards. The cashier stated his manager and store policy would not allow a refund on the other three cards. The officer did attempt to make contact with Vanilla to investigate, but there was no answer. The officer then checked the gift cards using Vanilla’s website, however the website returned an error code with the gift cards. The customer was advised to check the gift cards in 24 hours to see if the issue persists.

DUI/light law violation/registration expired: On Feb. 16 at approximately 3:08 a.m., a vehicle was observed traveling on West Highway 25/70 with a broken left tail light. The North Carolina registration plate was showing be expired as of January 2022. A traffic stop was conducted and upon speaking with the driver, Thomas Rathbone, his eyes were observed to be bloodshot, speech slurred and an odor of alcoholic beverage was coming from the vehicle. He stated he just left the Southern Steel bar where he consumed a six-pack of beer. He was unsteady on his fee when exiting his vehicle and asked if the deputy could “cut him a break.” He performed poorly on all field sobriety tests. He stated he knew his blood level was “above .0.” He consented to provide a blood sample and was transported by ambulance where a blood sample was obtained and then transported to Cocke County Jail Annex without incident.

Theft of property/vandalism/burglary: While patrolling the area of Northside Ave. on Feb. 16, Kenneth Rathbone was observed walking around a vehicle in front of a residence. Rathbone was known to have active arrest warrants out of Cocke County, which were confirmed to be active. He was placed under arrest. He left his parked vehicle at the residence and was transported to the Cocke County Jail.

Violation of probation: Police were called Feb. 16 to ETHRA on a person with an active warrant. Officers located Ginger Atwood sitting inside the building. Her probation officer stated she had a violation of probation warrant out of Cocke County. He gave officers the warrant and Atwood was transported to the jail without incident.

Warrant: An officer observed James Locklear driving on Heritage Blvd. on Feb. 16. Locklear had an active capias and a sealed presentment out of Cocke County. The warrants were confirmed and a traffic stop was conducted at Burger King. At that time, Locklear was placed under arrest and transported to Cocke County Jail without further incident.

DUI: Police were dispatched Feb. 16 to the area of West Broadway and Highway 25E in reference to 911 calls on a Kia driving recklessly. The vehicle was observed on West Broadway failing to maintain its lane of travel by swerving and a traffic stop was initiated. The driver, Derrick McDaniel, was given standard field sobriety tests. He was displaying signs of impairment and admitted to taking prescription medications. His reactions were slow and his speech was mumbled and slurred. He appeared to be falling asleep during any time he was asked to close his eyes. McDaniel then stated he had taken Subutex and clonazepam. He did consent to a blood draw which was performed by Priority prior to being transported to the Cocke County Jail Annex.