The Traffic Unit of the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single-car crash on Blue Springs Road that sent the driver to Erlanger Medical Center aboard Lifeforce.

The accident occurred around 5:30 this morning just north of Blue Springs Elementary School. According to the investigation, the vehicle left the road and broke a utility pole in half. Corey Myers, 21, of Red Clay Park Road, was the only occupant at the time.

The investigation is continuing.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office took a suspect into custody after another man was stabbed on Market Street in Charleston on Saturday, May 31, 2008.

Deputies from BCSO and Charleston Police Sgt. Chad Bogle responded to 405 Market Street in response to a stabbing call. When they arrived, Michael Hullander was lying on the floor with severe lacerations to his chin and the right side of his neck. He was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga and is still receiving treatment.

The suspect in the stabbing, Harold Thomas Centers Jr., 44, of Calhoun Tennessee, was taken into custody and is charged with Attempted 1st Degree Murder. He is currently held in the Bradley County jail with his bond set at $100,000.

Harold Thomas Centers Jr

The Criminal Investigations Division of BCSO is continuing the investigation.

UPDATE Tuesday, June 3,  11:00 a.m.   Further investigation reveals the couple has approached several churches in North Hamilton County and Meigs County seeking assistance. Anyone with information about recent sightings of these individuals should contact the Criminal Investigations Division of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office at 728-7336.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is currently seeking two people following the theft of guns and other items from a home on Goodwill Road. Warrants have been issued for Tracy Lynn Creel Sneed and Dennis Lerandle Simonds Jr. accusing them of Theft over $1,000.

The stolen property belongs to Sneed’s mother. Anyone with information about either of these suspects is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division of the Sheriff’s Office at 728-7336.

Because this is an ongoing investigation, the suspects are being added to the sheriff’s Most Wanted list at bradleysheriff.com.

 There were interesting side-by-side editorials in last Sunday’s Chattanooga Times Free Press (5-25-08) that caught my eye because they both expressed something I have often talked about. That is, they touched on the primary function of government.

In one of the paper’s editorials, Tennessee governor, Phil Bredesen, was quoted as saying, “The purpose of government is to do things for the benefit of the citizens ...” Of course, I take the governor’s comment “... for the benefit of the citizens ...” to mean “for the benefit of the citizens who cannot reasonably provide that benefit for themselves,” such as law enforcement, national defense, roads, schools and so on. For example, I do not believe the government should be responsible for what people drive or wear, or whether they have a television or healthcare or even a job. Those are things citizens provide for themselves as members of a free society.

Noted professor and columnist Dr. Walter Williams was a bit more succinct in his column. He wrote, “If there is one clear basic function of government, it’s to protect citizens from criminals.” Again, I wouldn’t limit that to protection “from criminals,” but protection from any threat, foreign or domestic.

But, in spirit, I could not agree with these two gentlemen more. I have often stated my belief that the primary responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens. Dr. Williams defined it as the “one clear basic function of government,” I define it as “the primary responsibility of government,” and Gov. Bredesen defined it simply as “the purpose of government.” But we are all basically saying the same thing: First and foremost, government ~ whether local, state or federal ~ is charged with protecting the public safety.