News Briefs

David Monroe, 44, of Maryville eventually was taken into custody. He was then transported to Blount Memorial Hospital for mental evaluation.

The incident started at 8:30 a.m. when Alcoa Field Training Officer Sayeed Rashid responded to a suspicious person call on the eastbound lanes of Pellissippi Parkway. Throughout the entire ordeal, Monroe never said a word to officers or deputies,
Alcoa police Capt. Rick Arnold said.

"He wouldn’t talk, but we got the call and the first officer on the scene was there at 8:32 a.m. Once he saw the officer, he
crossed over the concrete barrier wall to the outside," Arnold said.

Officer Rashid notified Alcoa Fire Department and Alcoa police. "We closed the eastbound traffic lane into Blount County and that remained closed for three hours," Arnold said.

Blount County Sheriff’s Office sent hostage negotiators Donna Sparks and Curtis Moore. "They got there quickly and started a dialog, but he never talked. Half an hour in he started taking his shoes off," Arnold said.

A Blount Special Operations Response Team boat was under the bridge, as was another boat. "We had both in the water ready for recovery or rescue. After about two hours, he stood up on top of the concrete barrier," Arnold said. "He kept looking out toward the lake."

Over the course of the three hours, the negotiators were able to hedge forward a little at a time and get closer to Monroe.

"Donna Sparks was able to reach up and grab him and me and Rashid were able to help handcuff him," Arnold said. "He didn’t give us any problems. He wouldn’t talk. We took him to Blount Memorial Hospital for mental evaluation. I don’t anticipate any charges."

Arnold said that with Monroe it was a waiting game.

"I’m sure it inconvenienced people going to the airport, but you couldn’t risk having traffic too close," Arnold said. "Time was on our side, and we didn’t want to push him into doing something."

Calloway Oil opens two new biodiesel pumps
Calloway Oil Company, one of the first companies in East Tennessee to carry pure biodiesel (B100) at their fuel farm, has now opened their fourth and fifth public stations where a biodiesel blend called B20 can be purchased. B20 is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

The two new locations are in Maryville at 1746 West Broadway (on U.S. 411 just a mile southwest of Foothills Mall) and in Vonore at 1930 Hwy 411. Both of the stations are 24-hour Exxons with credit card processors in the pumps.

These two new stations bring the total number of public stations in the eastern half of Tennessee that carry a biodiesel blend to 27.

In a press release, Tommy Hunt, the CEO of Calloway Oil’s public station arm E-Z Stop, says, "As petroleum prices increase we see this as a way to offer our customers choices in the fuels they put in their vehicles. Biodiesel is such an easy choice because it can be blended with diesel in different quantities and is a fill-n-go option for diesel users. Where we can find cost effective ways to make it available at more of our stations, we will certainly look at that."

Seymour man ejected from truck, dies from injuries
A 51-year-old Seymour man was killed as the result of a vehicle crash on Burnett Station Road late Monday night.
Ross Cleveland Ellerbe, 51, Mize Circle, Seymour, was pronounced dead at the University of Tennessee Medical Center shortly after the accident.

Ellerbe was traveling south in the 600 block of Burnett Station Road at around 11:20 p.m. May 28 in a 2007 Ford F-150 pick-up truck and lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a curve. The truck crossed the center line and rotated before flipping. Ellerbe was ejected through the side window. He was not wearing a seatbelt, and the airbag did not deploy.

The Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Unit is continuing its investigation into the accident.