Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies and Cleveland Police officers worked together in the arrest of four suspects following an armed robbery Thursday night on 25th Street in the city of Cleveland.

The suspects used a pistol to rob the Rocky Top Market around ten o’clock.  While the search for the suspects was underway, a Bradley County Sheriff’s officer spotted their vehicle at a convenience store on South Lee Highway.

Both Cleveland Police officers and sheriff’s deputies responded and the four were taken into custody without incident.  

Dontrell L. Jones, 24; Quintin Lamar Howard, 23;  Jermaine Antonio Coates, 28; and Derrick James Jackson, 19; all of Chattanooga, are charged with aggravated robbery.

Three people have been charged after the front door of Georgetown Market was smashed early Sunday morning.  The alarm sounded just after 1 a.m. and Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene within minutes.

They discovered a case of lottery tickets – consisting of eight rolls – is all that was taken.  

Investigators then contacted the Tennessee Lottery Board and it wasn’t long before they received a call back that someone was attempting to pass one of the stolen tickets at a store in Charleston.  Patrol deputies responded there and took Ernest Ray McKinney, 36, of Georgetown, into custody.

Additional investigation led to Hamilton County where, assisted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, more of the stolen lottery tickets were recovered and two additional suspects were identified.  

Virgil Lee Gray, 22, of Georgetown, and Joshua Stephen Caldwell, 26, of Cleveland, were later taken into custody without incident.

McKinney has been charged with burglary, theft over $1,000, possession of drug paraphernalia, schedule II drug violations, schedule IV drug violations, and possession of marijuana for resale.

Gray is charged with burglary and theft over $1,000.  

Caldwell was held for misdemeanor probation violation and has additional charges of burglary and theft over $1,000.  

Bradley County Criminal Investigations Captain Steve Lawson and Sheriff Tim Gobble expressed appreciation for assistance the Hamilton County
Sheriff’s Office gave that lead to recovery of the stolen lottery tickets. They also thanked the lottery board for their prompt response when an attempt was made to pass one of the tickets in Charleston.  

Two thieves used pepper spray to disable a convenience store clerk while they escaped with two cases of beer.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is continuing an investigation into the theft at Taylor’s Market on A-P-D 40. The incident was reported just after three a.m. on December 12.

According to the clerk, who refused treatment, the two suspects entered the store and while one went to the beer cooler the other approached the counter and sprayed her. She was able to tell patrol officers that they left the store in a small, white car,  possibly a Honda or Ford.

She also gave descriptions of the two suspects.

Suspect #1 was described as being short, approximately five-foot eight inches tall with a shaved head. Suspect #2 is approximately six feet tall, 140-150 pounds,  with a brown mustache. He also has a scar under his right eye. He was wearing a brown cap, pull over shirt, and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about the individuals involved in the theft is asked to contact the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office at 728-7336.

Fifth graders at Blue Springs Elementary School have completed the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.  School Resource Officers representing other county schools and Sheriff Tim Gobble were present to offer their congratulations to the students for this achievement. At the conclusion of the ten week program, each student completed an essay about what they had learned.  In the photograph, Blue Springs SRO Bo Collins and Sheriff Gobble pose with Courtney Sherlin ( left) and Ashlyn Lamberth who wrote the two best essays. For more photos of this event, visit our BCSO Photo Gallery .