LA VERGNE, Tenn. — A La Vergne resident faces a felony count of threat of mass violence after police say a string of online posts grew more specific and began naming Gov. Bill Lee, a pastor and houses of worship, the La Vergne Police Department said this week.
Detectives opened the case after learning that a judge in Williamson County had issued an order of protection against the person, police said. Officers could not find the suspect at first to serve that order.
While searching, detectives watched public online statements and saw them shift from broad threats toward relatives and others in Tennessee to threats aimed at named people and places, according to the department. Among the targets, police said, were Lee, several worship sites, and Pastor Corey Trimble.
Police said officers found the suspect and made the arrest after a short struggle. One officer and two detectives had minor injuries and turned down medical care. The suspect was then taken for a mental health evaluation, and investigators later added a misdemeanor resisting arrest count. Police have not released the person’s name.
Federal and state agencies helped, including the FBI, the ATF, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the state’s safety and homeland security department, along with sheriff’s offices in Williamson and Rutherford counties and Murfreesboro police.
The department urged people to tell police about remarks that sound like threats or about worrying behavior even if they are not sure a threat is real, and to call 911 in an emergency. Officials added that a detail that seems small on its own can become important once investigators combine it with other evidence.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Crime News
