The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public of a scam that recently surfaced and has already pulled in several unsuspecting victims.  

Sheriff Tim Gobble was contacted this week by a realtor with details.  The person perpetrating the scam is apparently using the ads of homes for sale on the websites of real estate companies. People expressing interest in a particular property correspond by e-mail with the scammer who identifies himself as the property owner. In the e-mails he tells them he is outside the U.S. and therefore willing to enter into a rental agreement.   

One property owner reports he has been contacted by five people who each had the impression they corresponded with him about renting the property. They were upset and surprised when told the house is not for rent and the person they corresponded with doesn’t own the property. 

The e-mail address used for the scam is the actual property owners name at yahoo.com.  At this time it is unclear how the scammer reaches out to victims and was able to identify the property owner because that is not disclosed in real estate ads.     

Victims were instructed to send their money to an overseas address and they would receive the key by return mail.  

Sheriff Gobble said people searching for rental properties should use a reputable rental agency. Anyone using the Internet should exercise caution and never complete a transaction based on e-mails. Gobble said offers requiring money to be sent outside the country should raise a red flag as a possible scam.   

When I was elected sheriff almost four years ago, I came into an office that had some serious problems. Crime was up and morale was down.

At the time, my deputies were being compensated almost 30 percent below the average compensation of their Cleveland City Police counterparts and employees in other departments of similar size and responsibility. This pay disparity contributed significantly to a high turnover rate, which ultimately was costing taxpayers much more than it saved in terms of lost experience and increased hiring, training and equipping costs.

The vehicles my deputies were being forced to drive were so old and worn out, an engine actually fell out of one of them and they were regularly breaking down on the way to help people. Deputies felt they were unsafe to drive and when I took office, they looked to me for help.

Another problem was that our deputies were regularly being sent on calls with no backup or limited backup in handling very dangerous or potentially dangerous situations because of staffing shortages and top-heavy management instead of enough field positions to properly do the job.

Much of the equipment deputies were provided at the time I assumed office was dated, worn and non-functional. For instance, deputies were wearing bullet-resistant vests that were expired, tattered and worn to the point stopping bullets was seriously questioned. There were very few working cameras in patrol cars to document evidence and protect the public and deputies alike.

While 85 percent of the public recognized the need to address these problems and voted me into office in record numbers to find solutions, some members of the public and county officials did not understand the serious public safety need or what would be required to fix the problems.  In my first budget request as sheriff, instead of ignoring the situation, I asked the County Commission to work with me to institute a phase-in plan to bring Bradley deputy salaries up to the level of the Cleveland City police, retire all patrol cars that were unreliable and dangerous and to fund the necessary equipment for our deputies to properly do their jobs in an effective and safe manner.

At the time, there was enough money in the County’s Fund Balance to cover the cost of these needs by phasing them in over a period of years without the need for a tax increase. This is what I publicly asked them to do.  

Yet, as often is the case, the old guard on the Commission was resistant to change. Twice during the budget negotiating sessions, I entered into phase-in agreements with members of the Finance Committee in compromises requiring no tax increase. Yet, when the final budget votes were taken by Commissioners that year, they voted our requests down.

Under the law, this left me with only two options: I could accept the budget and continue to ignore these vital public safety needs; or I could exercise a provision in state law which allows elected officials in Tennessee, when issues of vital importance are at stake, to petition a court for budget intervention on behalf of Bradley citizens and deputies. I chose to do the right thing and petition the court. It may have not been the politically expedient thing, but I believed it was the right thing.    

On average, according to an official at the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, about seven sheriffs per year in Tennessee exercise this legislature-provided option. Some do it as a matter of routine. Although in my case, I did not win a judges order as sought, the judge did say in his ruling that the Sheriff’s Office did have valid needs and urged all County officials to work together in the future to meet these needs … which is just what I had tried to do from the beginning.

After receiving the information this week,  BCSO detectives contacted the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office CID to see if they had any ongoing investigations that matched the information they were given.

HCSO detectives found similarities to the home invasion where two people forced a door open and entered the home while the residents were upstairs.

Two days of investigation by BCSO and HCSO detectives led to the arrest on Thursday of 19 year-old Cuong K. Mang of Bartlett Circle and 21 year-old Timothy J. Harris of southeast Teakwood Trail.  After questioning at the Bradley County Judicial Center they were taken to Hamilton County and charged with aggravated burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, theft over $1,000 and attempted aggravated burglary.  

Mang is currently on bond in Bradley County for the sale and delivery of schedule II narcotics.  

Sheriff Tim Gobble commended both agencies for their cooperation and intensive investigation that solved a serious crime. He said the person that provided the information is also to be commended for doing the right thing and contacting the BCSO with what they knew.  

Sheriff Gobble said BCSO detectives regularly work with other agencies to help solve crimes because criminals don’t follow jurisdictional boundaries. 

HERE IS THE RELEASE BY THE HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

A home invasion at 8420 Troubadour Way reported to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on January 10, 2010, has been cleared with the arrest of Timothy Harris age 22 and Cuong Mang age 20, both of Cleveland, Tennessee

The incident was reported to the HCSO in the early morning hours on January 10, 2010, at which time the victims stated two males broke the front door of the residence to gain entry. The dwelling was occupied by two females who secured themselves in a downstairs room after the suspects entered the residence. While the suspects were moving around in the upstairs area of the house, the victims were able to exit through a garage door going to safety.

A neighbor observed two males running from the residence and advised deputies they appeared to have a shotgun in their possession.

Investigators received information from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office on the possible identification of both suspects. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Investigators working together with Bradley County developed leads that resulted in the interview of both parties. During the interview it was found that along with the first reported home invasion, they also attempted to burglarize the same residence again on January 20, 2010.

The two suspects were charged with Aggravated Burglary, Possession of a Firearm during the commission of a Felony, Theft over $1,000 and Attempted Aggravated Burglary. They were transported to the Hamilton County Jail for processing.