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Rain Smith [email protected]
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police blotter

Facebook threats spur arrest of Kingsport 'clown'

Police were alerted to a Kingsport man’s Facebook video, in which he dons a clown mask and makes “indirect threats to kill people” with a machete. About 12 hours later, officers spotted the suspect walking along West Stone Drive, again with the mask over his head.

May 24, 2019 at 11:38 AM
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Police ID body found in Holston River

KINGSPORT — Police say a body found last weekend in the Holston River is that of a Hawkins County man.

May 22, 2019 at 4:18 PM
From left to right: Shalonda Hildebrand, Lewis Blake and Keana Smith.
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crime

Kingsport police charge three in cloned card scheme

A trio of Chicago area residents have been arrested after allegedly making nearly 50 fraudulent transactions on cloned debit cards, including some that duplicated Eastman Credit Union accounts.

May 22, 2019 at 2:10 PM
Larry Todd Blazer
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crime

I-81 truckers stop wrong-way DUI suspect

KINGSPORT — An allegedly drunk motorist was arrested Monday night after driving north on southbound lanes of Interstate 81, then getting boxed in by truck drivers working together to stop him.

May 21, 2019 at 1:36 PM
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No ID yet for body found in Holston River

According to Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus, detectives could not immediately determine if there were any signs of trauma to the body. Kingsport police report that the person appears to have been an adult male.

May 20, 2019 at 3:10 PM
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police blotter

Would-be drug mule busted in Blountville bathroom

Police were alerted to a man breaking things in a bathroom of the BP station on Highway 394. When questioned by a deputy, he explained how someone bailed him out of jail under specific conditions.

May 17, 2019 at 11:17 AM
Dean Sparks and Kayla Sparks
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crime

Homemade flamethrower leads to arrest of Kingsport couple

The fire department, police bomb squad and Department of Children's Services all had a hand in a Kingsport couple's arrest, triggered when the man conducted a "demonstration" of his homemade flamethrower.

May 16, 2019 at 11:58 AM
Due to there not being enough beds in the cell, several Sullivan County inmates sleep on cots in the floor.
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Vote set on staffing increase for packed Sullivan County jail

Over the past few months, Sullivan County Jail Administrator Lee Carswell has toured commissioners through the facility. Opened in in 1987 to house 619 people, 935 individuals were held on Wednesday morning. One cell had 12 beds and 31 male inmates.

May 16, 2019 at 7:45 AM
James Michael Wright
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Mendota

NE Tennessee women believed to be victims of serial killer

Mendota resident James Michael Wright, 23, reportedly met his victims through his work as a subcontractor with the James H. Drew Carnival. During a Monday press conference at the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Fred Newman categorized Wright as a serial killer — and didn’t rule out the possibility of additional victims.

May 13, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Anna Whitson and Michael Terranera learn the art of candle making.
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Students don period attire to enhance Exchange Place visit

KINGSPORT — At the Exchange Place Living History Farm on Orebank Road, volunteers are accustomed to entertaining children on field trips. But seldom do the visitors arrive like Thursday's troop of fourth graders from Towne Acres Elementary in Johnson City. 

May 9, 2019 at 5:30 PM
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