Traffic stops led to meth arrests, the apprehension of burglars, and a couple of escape attempts for Monroe County law enforcement over the weekend.

Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Travis Jones stopped a car on Old Store Road Friday and as soon as the occupants, Wes Carmley and Bridget McDaniel, were out of the vehicle, they took off running.
Jones said Carmley was caught a short distance away and taken into custody on a charge of violation of probation. McDaniel managed to get away, but a warrant has been taken out on her on a charge of initiating the process to manufacture methamphetamine.

Upon searching Carmley's car, officers found plastic bottles containing fertilizer, hoses, empty blister packs, lithium batteries, lye and ammonia nitrate.

Drug Officer Conway Mason said these items are consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine and Carmley, 31, Big Creek Road, Madisonville, was arrested and charged with initiating the process to manufacture methamphetamine.

Car burglary at Toqua Boat dock
On Sunday, Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy James Wall responded to a burglary call just before 3 a.m. at the Toqua Boat Dock. Witnesses told Wall they had seen people walking around the vehicles parked at the boat dock before they heard three loud bangs and then the sound of a window shattering.

They also saw somebody go into a car and remove a dashboard CD player from the vehicle. They described the getaway vehicle as being a dark colored truck with a loud muffler and several subjects in the back.

Deputy Brian Turpin, who was on the way to assist with the search for the truck, found it on Highway 360. He turned on his lights, but the driver of the truck turned off his lights and sped up.
Turpin followed the truck onto Cathcart Road where it came to a stop. The driver, Steven Ronald Vance, 21, Hutten Ridge Road, Maryville, turned out to have several traffic violations, including an expired tag, the wrong license plate and the vehicle identification number indicated the truck didn't belong to him.

There were also three juveniles in the bed of the truck who admitted they had been at the scene of the car burglary at the boat dock.

Vance and Robert Austin Lee Davis, 18, Red Ankle Road, Sweetwater, were both arrested and charged with burglary of an auto vehicle. Vance is also charged with evading arrest, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
After taking several statements, it was determined that while the juveniles were on the scene, they had nothing to do with the burglary and were not charged.

michael.thomason@advocateanddemocrat. com | 442-4575