Sheriff’s Office arrests one, seeks second person in theft at GE site

Detectives at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office have made an arrest for the December theft of copper wire from the construction site of the new GE plant in north Bradley County.

A second person indicted by the Bradley County Grand Jury is being sought but he has not been found at this time.

Detective Kevin White said the Grand Jury indicted Kevin Vaughn Crosby, 41, for the theft of wire from GE having a value of $2,000 and the theft of a projector from Bradley Central High School.  At the time, Crosby was employed by a janitorial service and was assigned to the crew that worked at the school campus.

Crosby is charged with two counts of theft over $1,000.

The second suspect will face charges stemming from the copper theft when he is arrested. 

In another investigation , the sheriff’s office has an active reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the theft of copper wire from homes in Eagle Creek Subdivision on Mouse Creek Road.   Sheriff Tim Gobble authorized the reward after several homes under construction in the new development were stripped of electrical wiring.  Losses were several thousand dollars for the owners of the new homes. 

Anyone with information about the thefts in Eagle Creek Subdivision can contact the Criminal Investigations Division of the Sheriff’s Office at 728-7337.

Suspicious device identified as container of paint

A bomb technician from the Cleveland Police Department safely disposed of a suspicious device that was found late Monday afternoon at the entrance to Bradley County’s Judicial Complex.

Emergency Medical Service workers who man the ambulance substation at the center noticed the device and immediately alerted the 9-1-1 center.  Sheriff’s deputies and Cleveland police officers blocked off the intersection of Blythe Avenue and Bower Lane until the device could be destroyed.

Sheriff Tim Gobble said the device was a small metal canister wrapped in duct tape that had a bulge on one side that could have possibly been a fuse.

The jail was locked down as a precaution and correction officers conducted a full perimeter sweep of the building for any additional suspicious devices, however none were found. Bomb Technician Chris Jacques “disrupted” the device and found it to be a metal container of paint that was of no danger.

Sheriff Gobble expressed his appreciation to the city police department and the city fire department for their response and assistance.

 Accident on Buchanan Road fatal for 17 year old

Traffic Investigators for the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a fatal crash Monday night on Buchanan Road which claimed the life of the 17-year-old driver of one of the vehicles.

He was identified as Robert Tyler Gates, a recent graduate of Bradley Central High School.

Gates was driving a Mazda MX6 that collided with a Dodge Durango driven by Sandra L. Elliott, 59, who received non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at Skyridge Medical Center. 

Traffic investigators said alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the accident but the investigation will look into the possibility of speed being a factor.

The traffic unit plans to return to the scene of the accident Wednesday morning to do a detailed drawing of the site.  It will necessitate the closing of Buchanan Road for a brief time while they complete this phase of the investigation.

It is good to live in a community that respects the men and women who serve daily in law enforcement with local, state and federal agencies.

Today, as sheriff, I join others in this worthy profession as we recognize the men and women who daily provide for our safety and the more than 14,000 officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Police Memorial Week was proclaimed by Congressional action in 1962 in remembrance  of those who sacrificed their own life for the protection of communities across the nation.  President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726 on October 1, 1962 but twenty years went by before the first public ceremony was held to honor those serving in law enforcement.   

At the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. thousands will gather to pay homage to those who died in 2006.

The Bradley – Cleveland Emergency Services Memorial bears the names of fallen officers and emergency service workers who lost their lives in the line of duty.   

Sheriff Israel L. Smith died of a gunshot while leading his deputies on a whiskey raid in 1922; Deputy Taylor Cawood died in 1932 while returning to Tennessee with a prisoner; Patrolman Bud Cash was killed in a crash at the intersection of Inman and Ocoee Streets while running emergency traffic; Deputy Ken Wright Sr. was killed by gunfire in 1971 while backing up a Cleveland Police officer on Broomfield Road; and in 1989 Reserve Deputy Al McCollum died while serving with the Cleveland – Bradley County Rescue Squad during a rescue attempt in Meigs County.   

According to the Constable Public Safety Memorial Foundation, in the U.S:

• Over 6,000 officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1960. Between 150 and 165 die each year.
• A police officer dies in the line of duty every 57 hours.
• Two police officers are wounded by gunfire everyday.
• Most deaths occur during arrests, disturbances and in car crashes.
• Most officer deaths occur between 4:01 p.m. and midnight.
• Twenty-five percent of officers are killed with their own weapon.
• Most deaths are within the first minute of contact with the suspect.
• Over 68,000 officers are assaulted every year. That is about 189 every day.

 Law enforcement officers are only human and they make mistakes. But they are deserving of your gratitude when they do a good job, your respect for the risks they take, and a place in your heart for the job they do keeping all of us safe.

The Law Enforcement Officers Prayer

O Almighty God, Whose great power and eternal wisdom embrace the universe, watch over all the police officers and law enforcement officers. Protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to stop crime, robberies, riots and violence. We pray, help them keep our streets and homes safe day and night. We recommend them to your loving care because their duty is dangerous. Grant them your unending strength and courage in their daily assignments. Dear God, protect these brave men and women, grant them your almighty protection, unite them safely with their families after duty ends. For these men and women truly walk the "Thin Blue Line", Amen.