Hi, I’m Daniel Wagner from the Patriot Punk Network, giving you the latest Tennessee news in 3 minutes or less.
This is our Today in Tennessee Segment brought to you by Comfort Kings. Your wholesale HVAC suppliers serving all of Middle Tennessee.
Let's go!
Round 1
Covington Police say a traffic stop on Highway 51 Thursday morning turned into a foot chase and search for a gun. Around 11:38 a.m., an officer pulled over a white car with an inoperable brake light near Church Street, and the front‑seat passenger ran from the vehicle toward West Pleasant Street with what officers describe as an assault‑style rifle.
According to the department, the man ran into the 1776 Men’s Grooming Parlor off the downtown square, sat in a chair, and comically tried to act like a customer until barbers pointed him out and officers detained him.
He was identified as 24‑year‑old Damian Lattimore of Henning.
Officers and detectives then searched along the route of the chase and found a loaded pink .556 GLFA AR‑style pistol near the water treatment plant.
The driver left in the car during the foot pursuit, but license‑plate reader cameras showed the vehicle traveling back toward Ripley.
They identified the driver as 21‑year‑old Vertavious Barbee of Ripley, and, with help from Ripley Police and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, located him and the vehicle at a home on Skyline Drive, where he was taken into custody and the car was towed for processing.
Round 2
A new bill at the Tennessee legislature would expand when people can legally use deadly force to defend property.
And it's got the Democrats in a tizzy.
HB 1802 / SB 1847 (otherwise known by its opponents as the "shoot first" bill) amend the state’s existing defense‑of‑property statute, section 39‑11‑614
And if you were to ask Representative Justin Jones what this bill is about, he'd say [clip]
What the bill actually does is make it so a person would be justified in using deadly force if they are already justified in using force under current law, and if they reasonably believe deadly force is immediately necessary to prevent or stop trespass, arson, damage to property or livestock, burglary, theft, robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals.
The person would also have to reasonably believe the property cannot be protected in any other way, or that using non‑deadly force would expose them or someone else to a risk of death or serious bodily injury.
The proposal does add one explicit – and rather odd – limitation:
It says a person is not justified in using deadly force if the other individual “is facing away from the person,” which means…
[Skit]
That's 2 rounds down and one to go and if you haven't fondled these buttons in awhile, give it a try 😉
Round 3
In a terrific example of Tip‑Top Police Work Manchester Police say Sgt. Benton Brown was called to the Papa John’s on April 22 on a tip that someone stole the restaurant’s tip jar. Within minutes, he tipped the scales, identifying the suspect and, after a bit more tip-toing, found the offender over at the Park Motel, right at the tip of Walls Street.
With help from Captain Jamie Newman and Officer Joshua Gilliam, the suspect was arrested, the stolen tip money was recovered, and the cash was brought right back to Papa John’s — in all, it took about 30 minutes to give back just the tip.
That was your tipsy Tennessee news roundup.
For more deep dives into local stories, watch the Patriot Punkcast on Rumble every Sunday and Wednesday at 7pm CST. Thanks for checking out our TITS — see you Monday!
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