Edmonson Voice Staff
Emergency responders were called out to a single-vehicle accident at 1:41pm Saturday, January 30, 2016 in the 6000 block of Wingfield Church Road (KY HWY 1749). Deputies said the driver, Marcus Flener 28, of Wingfield, apparently failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the road, and struck a tree head-on in a 2000 Ford Explorer.

Reports said that Flener was complaining of chest pains and was taken by Edmonson EMS to the Wingfield Fire Department where an Air-Evac helicopter landed and transported Flener to Nashville. The extent of his injuries and status were unknown at press time.

Deputies also said that soon after, a call came in to dispatch with reports of a bloodied man walking up Wingfield Church Road with an open gash on his head. Around 3:15pm, an unknown female called from a residence requesting medical attention for her boyfriend, Dallas Renfro, 27, also of Wingfield, who claimed he was a passenger in Flener's vehicle.

Renfro was then transported to the Medical Center via Edmonson EMS. Also responding to the scene was the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office and the Edmonson County Rescue Squad.

Edmonson Voice Sports
Darren Doyle, photos
Former players, cheerleaders, and staff members of the history-making Edmonson County Wildcats 1976 State Championship team were honored between games at ECHS last night with the iconic trophy to a near capacity crowd. 

Three cheerleaders, Terri Vincent Webb, Becky Alford Brannon, and Stephanie Stewart Gibson were recognized along with players and staff Mark Hennion, Jimmy Cole, Jeff Doyle, Tim Ashley, Chester Bethel, Rick Houchin, Kevin Clemmons, Aaron Goad, Phil Rich, and Larry Starnes.

"I'm so happy for us to host the 1976 State Championship team," said ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce. "Their accomplishment forty years ago is something that is not just remembered here."

Known as a true "Cinderella" team, the Wildcats were coached by the late Bo Davenport and defeated Betsy Lane in the first round 77-52, Harrison County 61-57 in the elite eight, Shelby County 53-52 in a nail-biting final four, and then Christian County in the finals by a score of 74-52. 

Pierce said for a school the size of Edmonson County, to win a state championship where there is no classification is something incredible. 

"I've been to the state tournament for 30 years," he said. "I've talked to random strangers sitting near and then after they find out I'm from Edmonson County, they usually respond with something from 1976. Then they normally talk about the tournament and remember that special run."

Team members were given a standing ovation from the crowd and enjoyed a team meal together as they looked at old photos and reminisced about their magical journey.  

It's hard to believe, but it's been 40 years since the Edmonson County Wildcats cut down the nets as the 1976 state champions and they will be honored tonight at ECHS.

The Lady Cats and Wildcats will play a girl/boy doubleheader tonight against district rival Grayson County beginning at 6pm. That's enough excitement for anyone, but tonight will be especially emotional as players, cheerleaders, and staff from the legendary 1976 team will be recognized between games.

Sophomore Lady Cat guard Caitlin Simon is only 14 points away from reaching 1,000 points for her career, a milestone she's expected to achieve tonight. The Lady Cats look to avenge the Lady Cougars as they were defeated in Leitchfield during their last meeting.

The boys are looking to maintain a perfect district record after they defeated Grayson County on the road during their January 8 win. Oddly enough, Austin "Cuban" Sowders scored his 1,000th point during that game in the 58-55 victory.

Tonight will also be a "RED-OUT" at ECHS, so everyone is encouraged to wear your red Edmonson County gear and cheer on the Lady Cats and Wildcats as tonight's tip off is scheduled for 6pm.

You can also listen to the game live with Jamie and Wyn Caudill tonight on WildcatsLive beginning around 5:45pm. Caudill stepped down from the regular broadcast team after last season, and the WildcatsLive crew is glad to have him fill in tonight as special guest commentator.

District 19 Representative and Edmonson County resident Michael Lee Meredith has informed EdmonsonVoice.com that the Pro-Life Informed Consent Bill (Senate Bill 4) has just passed in the House with an overwhelming 92-3 majority vote.

The bill requires anyone seeking an abortion to have a face-to-face consultation with a doctor or healthcare professional about the procedure and possible effects 24 hours before the abortion is scheduled to take place.

"Today was an historic day in Frankfort, as it was the first time in my six years of service as Representative that members of the House were allowed to vote on pro-life legislation," said Rep. Meredith.

Meredith also said that there were minor differences in the Senate and House version, so the bill will return to the Senate for those details to be worked out before heading to Gov. Bevin's desk where it will become law. 

"I'm proud to have finally had the opportunity to vote for this bill that's been important to many constituents and myself throughout the years," Meredith added.

Edmonson Voice Staff
​The now former treasurer of the Edmonson County Middle School Football Boosters was arrested this morning on several theft charges after an investigation led to the discovery of thousands of dollars missing from the booster club's bank account, going as far back as October, 2015.

Police said Middle School administrators were in the process of ordering some end-of-the season clothing for the team which was going to be a rather large purchase. When a school official double-checked the balance of the account, which was supposed to be in the amount of $3,000-$4,000, they discovered the balance was only six dollars.

Police said calls were made to Jennifer Elmore, the current treasurer, in an attempt to locate the missing money. It was reported that she claimed she had valid receipts for all purchases, but none were ever produced. After further investigation, school officials discovered at least $5,000 in cash or purchases for which are yet to be accounted.

"The school gave her every benefit of the doubt at first," said Chief Deputy and Edmonson County Resource Officer Jeff Brooks. "She told the school she had receipts for everything, and they told her that's all they needed, but she wouldn't show up to provide them. The school kept trying to arrange meetings, and she'd never show. She finally stopped all communication so eventually, she was arrested."

Police said several unaccounted checks were written from the booster account, signed by Elmore and made out to "cash."

​On Thursday, January 28th, a meeting of the Edmonson County Election Board was held at the Clerk's office.  Among other things discussed, a vote was taken to reopen the Wingfield Fire Department as a second polling place.  That vote passed, 4-0.  "Our goal is for people to vote," said County Clerk Kevin Alexander.  "If we can make it easier for people to vote while also being responsible, then we want to do that."

Currently, the only polling place in the first district was at South Edmonson Elementary, which not only has the highest concentration of voters, but also has shown a trend of having higher voter turnout numbers. 

​Sheriff Shane Doyle, who is also on the board, said the idea is to alleviate crowding at the polls while also allowing people to vote closer to home. "This simply made the most sense," Doyle said. "We want to do everything we can to encourage voting, not make it more difficult."

The board also had discussion to fix a few other issues with precinct lines, and will be working with Fiscal Court over the next few months to address those issues.  "Our ultimate goal is for people to vote in their own community," Alexander said.

The county election board is made up of County Clerk Kevin Alexander, Sheriff Shane Doyle, Republican representative Bob Kleier, and Democrat representative Susie Wood. The changes are expected to be in place by the November general election.

Valentine's Day is only a couple weeks away and right here is a great way to send your special someone a special greeting for only $5! We'll add your message to our special Valentine's Day Message Board so that our 7500 weekly readers can see just how much you care (or don't care in some cases...yikes!) Here's a small sample of last year's message board:
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Edmonson District Court was held on Tuesday, January 26th, 2016. The Honorable Judge Renon Carol Browning, presiding.

Sarah Shepherd, Menacing, Resisting Arrest, Assault 3rd degree-police/probation officer. Pleaded not guilty to all, preliminary hearing for 2-2-16.

Scotty Thomas Davis, Convicted felon in possession of firearm, pleaded not guilty, preliminary hearing for 2-2-16. License to be in possession, dismissed. Wanton endangerment, dismissed.

Sierra Ashley, Speeding 19mph over limit, dismissed. Failure to produce insurance card, proof shown, dismissed.

Jefferey Ray Jacobs, No/expired registration plates, proof filed, dismissed.

Monty E Brooks, No tail lamps, proof of repair shown, dismissed. No/expired registration plates, proof shown, dismissed.

Jason Alan Grimes, No/expired registration plates, No/expired KY registration receipt, Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security. Pleaded not guilty to all, pretrial conference for 2-9-16.

*Linda J Webb, Theft by deception-including cold checks under $500. Restitution paid, dismissed.

Linda G. Webb 1108 Poplar Springs Road, Brownsville, Ky. is not the Linda J. Webb  in District Court Report 1-26-2015 on The Edmonson Voice.

Darren Doyle, story and photos
Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools Patrick Waddell held a press conference at the Board of Education today in Brownsville to address a recent dress code issue involving a minor student and the minor's parents. On Thursday and Friday Jan 15-16th, the student and one of the student's parents sent the Edmonson Voice photos of the student involved in the incident along with five other students that were apparently questioned for dress code violations. The caption of the photo read "Suck it, dress code."

The Edmonson Voice looked into the situation and after several interviews with faculty, administration, and several students, we felt that this was not a newsworthy event, but responded to the student and parent and suggested they write a letter-to-the-editor about the situation. They did not submit a letter or any other information.

A story about the incident aired on the local television station WBKO on Monday, January 18, that Supt. Waddell called "inaccurate and unfair." The station even sent out text alerts on that day with the incident being "breaking news." From there, several national news outlets, magazines, entertainment websites, and blogs picked up the story and Waddell said each one became more inflated and inaccurate as it went on.

Mr. Waddell said that both he and ECHS principal Tommy Hodges were contacted by WBKO and they both gave statements, however, he said that most of their comments were not used and that the story was one sided. "I talked to the reporter for over an hour and not a single quote from me was used in the story," Waddell said.

Waddell said that since the story aired, Mr. Hodges and his family have been the victims of negative emails, posts, and comments, some even being threatening. "I'd think that a TV station would have more important news alerts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day than to send out alerts about a dress code violation at Edmonson County High School," Waddell said.

So what happened? The student claims she was forced on her knees while Mr. Hodges uncomfortably measured the length of her skirt from the floor. The school dress code says:

1. Shorts, skirts, and dresses must be no more than six (6) inches from the floor while kneeling. Also, holes in jeans, pants, or the above-named apparel must be no more than six (6) inches from the floor while kneeling. This six (6) inch rule will apply regardless of leggings, hosiery, or other undergarments worn with shorts, skirts, and dresses. Pajama pants and yoga pants are prohibited. Tights and leggings CANNOT be worn as standalone garments.

The student claimed Hodges said she was in violation of the dress code as the dress measured more than 6 inches from the floor and she was forced to go home.

Hodges says that's not how the incident occurred. He said that a teacher suggested the student go to the office and make sure her dress was long enough. Hodges said her parents were not contacted by the school and that he thought this would be a simple incident where he or another administrator would probably issue a warning if the dress was in question and send the student back to class.

However, Hodges said the parents showed up at the school and both the parents and the student requested specifically for Mr. Hodges to measure the dress length, which according to school policy, must be done as the student is at a kneeling position. "The dress was 8 inches from the ground, which was clearly in violation of the dress code," Hodges said. "I never made physical contact with the student, I don't even normally do that part of it, but they specifically asked me to."

He said the parents then checked the student out of school at their own choosing for the remainder of the day, and that no one forced anyone to go home. Hodges said he even excused the absence, something that was out of the ordinary.

Hodges said he would be more than happy to explore possibilities of making changes to the dress code if that's what was needed. It would need to be brought before the Site-Based Decision Making Council, which writes the dress code. However, instead of a dress code issue taking focus, he said the incident has recently turned more into a personal attack on him.

The majority of the student body has supported Hodges, the dress code, and the current policies. There are current popular hashtags on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, that say #IStandWithHodges.

Supt. Waddell said that Hodges followed school policy by the book, and did nothing wrong. Waddell said the story has become nothing but twisted drama. "Some of the comments that Mr. Hodges has received have accused him of being a sexual predator or pedophile."

An emotional Waddell backed Hodges completely as he described Hodges' lengthy resume over the years that was quite impressive.

"I've been amazed by how fast this has taken off, nationally," Waddell said. "It's made me realize that when I read a lot of these national stories now, I'm not going to put much trust in what's being said."

He summarized the major issues that faced fiscal court over the past year, and while he admitted no one was perfect, he was confident that the outcomes of those issues had shown positive results for the county. He started from the beginning of the year with some of county government’s accomplishments:

• Restructured the little league program by hiring a new program administrator which allowed the very first league board not appointed by fiscal court. The board has been successful and the league has improved.
• Emergency Management Director Pat Prunty was able to secure $30,000 (gross amount) in federal grant money after one of the snowstorms last year.
• Worked with Rocky Hill residents to help with the disassembling of the Atmos Gas Plant in the best interest of the community, now exploring ways to implement industrial zoning.
• Made improvements to county parks with help of A.B. Webb and Greg Hudson
• Adopted Lauren Way (subdivision in Chalybeate) into county road system
• Completed new sidewalk project with city of Brownsville on north side of courthouse. Handicapped parking was improved, and sidewalk can now accommodate wheelchairs and comfortable walking.
• Solved a $195K budget shortfall with implementation of small Health Dept. and Extension Agent taxes, which added $220K to the yearly budget.
• Saw a new salt shed structure under direction of road foreman Ray Page. Although the state required the county to build the structure, county road crews provided most of the labor, and  the county was able to build the entire structure for around $35K, not the projected $65K-$70K first discussed
• Generating revenue for the county’s tourism board and parks and rec programs by implementing a room and rec tax within qualifying commerce in the county.
• Saw the construction of new Veterans Memorial Wall on the courthouse lawn. The wall was filled with engraved bricks so quickly that another wall is currently being constructed. Nearly 100% of funding for the project was provided by private donations.

Darren Doyle, story and photo
District 2 Constable Tim Skees addressed the fiscal court tonight to request the right to run police lights and use the county police radio frequency.
 
Skees noted that he does not get paid for his services, but he wasn’t asking for funding or any payment of any kind. He was simply asking for the right to use emergency equipment, something that Edmonson County Fiscal Court has not allowed constables to use in the past.
 
Skees is a volunteer firefighter on three different local departments and is also a member of the rescue squad. He said he uses a car purchased with his own money, but he can’t utilize it fully because it doesn’t have lights.
 
He also noted that because he’s not able to use police radio, he can’t access NCIC, (The National Crime Information Center) which is a computerized database of documented criminal justice information available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. “It’s the same as telling me to arrest someone without handcuffs,” he said. “Just let me have the tools I need for my job.”
 
Emergency Management Director Pat Prunty said that his department is the one that grants radio access to emergency personnel, but that access is granted with advisement from the sheriff.
 
Sheriff Shane Doyle said that Constable Skees does a great job of helping city and county law enforcement and that he’s earned respect from local officers.
 
Assistant County Attorney Leah Knee said that Skees has made a legitimate request but that a resolution would have to be written to allow him to use the emergency equipment that he requested, which would have to be voted on by magistrates.
 
Judge Wil Cannon said the vote would be on the February 8th 2016 agenda at the next fiscal court meeting. 

Darren Doyle, story and photo
The Monday night, January 25, 2016 fiscal court meeting saw a good crowd and covered a range of topics, one of the first being the effort made by county road crews during the recent winter storm.

​County Road Foreman Ray Page said his crew got started around 3:30am on Wednesday morning where most all the county saw at least 3 inches of snow.

He said crews worked 15-16 hours into Wednesday night, but the worst was yet to come as Thursday night and early Friday morning saw ¼ inch of ice, then snow fell all day long. Crews started again around 5:30am and continued until 11pm Friday night.

He said all 5 county trucks were stuck at different times throughout the shifts and one wrecker even refused to go in certain areas. Page said the county’s trucks are in bad need of repair and the county equipment struggled to spread the 200 tons of salt over the weekend. He began to discuss in detail the problems that each truck has, one being 27 years old, and two trucks that were 19 years old.

Page said just today, he spent $5,000 of his department’s budget on tire chains and new cutting edges for snow plow blades. He said a set of chains lasts about one large snowfall, and the blade edges need replacing every other snow. He said he didn’t think it was fair for that money to come out of his department’s already strapped budget.

“Magistrates call me and they ask me why ain’t we plowing this road, or that one, well, it’s because we’re spending about as much time working on our trucks as we are out on the roads,” Page said.

He spoke of the dedication that the guys on his crews show every day, not just during snow storms and requested that the county find ways to purchase new trucks and at the least, to help fund snowstorm efforts. “These guys bend over backward for me, and I’m here to fight for them.”

Judge Cannon suggested that the magistrates each use a portion of their district road money as an aid for things like tire chains and blade maintenance.

Page welcomed any of the magistrates to ride with his crew to get a better idea of what he was talking about. He said that if another snow were to hit this week, he’d only have 3 out of 5 trucks ready to hit the roads.

Cannon said the court would begin the process of looking for affordable options. “We can’t spend more than we have, but it’s obvious we have to do something,” he said.
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All the magistrates and court officials in attendance thanked Page along with Greg Carroll, assistant foreman who was also in attendance, for outstanding work and the tireless efforts of the crews. Sheriff Shane Doyle also spoke of the good work from the team. "Our roads looked better on Saturday than some other counties' roads look today," he said.

Superintendent of Schools Patrick Waddell has announced that there will be no school in Edmonson County on Tuesday, January 26th. Even though most main roadways are clear, back roads are still icy. "There are just too many roads that are too bad," he said.

Stay connected to EdmonsonVoice.com for all your local news and info. We'll have local school info before anyone else.

EC Superintendent Patrick Waddell has announced that Edmonson County schools are closed for Monday, January 25th, 2016.

We'll keep you updated with more details and cancellations as they become available.

Edmonson Voice Staff
We're about 36 hours into the 2016 snowstorm and Emergency Management Director Pat Prunty says there are some drivers who are getting anxious. "We're getting calls from people that want to know why their road hasn't been cleared, or how long before someone gets out here," Prunty said. "All we're asking is for you to be patient, our road crews are working as fast as they can."

Prunty pointed out that what started out as rain late Thursday night ended up being 1/4 inch of ice as the base layer, then 12-14 inches of snow fell all over the county. Add 35mph winds in some areas and you have 5 and 6 foot snow drifts on some roads, causing travel to be impossible.

"It's taking our state and county road crews double or triple the amount of time to clear our roads," Prunty said. "They're putting in long hours, but they're limited to what they can do, especially after dark."

Prunty said that the extreme amount of snowfall is causing too much weight on some of the blades, and that has wreaked havoc on the the trucks. Some areas weren't even accessible by trucks with blades, but had to be cleared using a state grader blade machine. 

"At one time yesterday, 4 out of 5 plow trucks were hung up, and the drivers simply had to leave them parked there until this morning. It's difficult to see what they're doing after dark, and it becomes dangerous."

"These guys are working as hard as they can go, so we ask everyone to please be patient. They'll eventually make their way all over the county. We have to make sure the main roads and highest traffic area get cleared first."

He also urged drivers to use extreme caution even though some areas have been cleared a great deal today. "Many roads are clear today, and you'll see some runoff across lanes as the snow melts in today's sun, but that runoff is going to freeze back into solid ice tonight. People get comfortable and they don't see these slick spots and ice patches. Please slow down," he said. "You should still be traveling at very slow speeds. Hitting a patch of ice at 50mph is going to do lots more damage than if you were taking it easy."

He also said that people who live near main roads sometimes forget that secondary and back roads take much longer to clear. "Some folks look out their door and say 'I don't know what the big deal is, our roads are clear,' but this has been a very serious storm. It's going to take a while to get everything cleared up.

It's dangerous, slippery, and sometimes just downright nasty, but it sure is beautiful when the snow first falls...here are more photos from the 2016 Snowstorm.

We were out and about today around the county checking on road conditions and taking photos to share with you. We have several more pics we'll share in slideshows to come. Check out these!

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 22, 2016) – In response to the winter storm affecting most of the Commonwealth, Governor Matt Bevin today declared a statewide emergency effective at 1:30 pm, January 22, 2016 to provide local officials immediate access to state resources for public safety and assistance.

“My primary concern is safety. By declaring a state emergency we are giving emergency management the options they need to proactively respond to local needs. I thank all of the officials working hard to keep people safe and commerce flowing,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “We urge all citizens to remain at home and stay off of the roads allowing emergency services the opportunity to keep the roadways safe.”

Kentucky Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Joint Information Center (JIC) remain active to monitor the winter storm and coordinate the response.

“The Commonwealth has come through the worst part of the snowfall event. The storm front should move out of the area by 7 pm EST. We’ve encountered sporadic power outages, but more specifically calls regarding slow moving traffic on interstates," said Michael Dossett, Director of Kentucky Emergency Management.

“It is imperative that we allow our first responders the ability to provide timely services throughout the state. In that light, we are asking that our citizens refrain from travel on the interstate system for the remainder of this storm period," continued Dossett. "By virtue of the executive order for a state of emergency, allied state agencies are now able to leverage resources that are beyond local government capabilities.”

Although it should come as no surprise, all county and city offices are closed Friday, January 22, 2016. Snow is currently pelting the county and doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. 

Most of the county was without power around 5:30am this morning, but WRECC crews were able to restore power in just an hour or so.

Officials are urging everyone to stay indoors today as safe travel on Edmonson County roads is virtually impossible. 

Edmonson Voice Staff
Police said a tractor trailer caused a Cedar Springs man to swerve off the highway into a rock wall on Thursday morning. Reports said that Shannon Hennion, 40, was driving a Dodge pickup with a trailer on KY HWY 259 in the Pig Community when he attempted to turn onto Park Boundary Rd near Porky Pig Diner. 

Police said that as Hennion attempted to turn, a Reinhart semi pulled out from Park Boundary Road into Hennion's path, forcing him off the road and into a rock wall. The trailer he was pulling jack-knifed, which caused damage to the rear of the pickup as well.

Icy roads didn't help matters, but luckily no injuries were reported. Sheriff Shane Doyle said there were several cars that had slipped off county roadways during the recent snow, but that no serious injuries were reported. He urged drivers to use extreme caution during the icy conditions and to allow plenty of time when traveling.

County Officials have been communicating with the National Weather Service in Louisville for most of the day, and the latest weather models show that Edmonson County is facing significant snowfall along with ice and freezing rain.

Sheriff Shane Doyle said that weather experts warned emergency personnel that Edmonson County appears to be the "bullseye" of the storm, with the southern part of the county taking the brunt of the severe weather.

Doyle said the representative from the NWS said Edmonson County will likely see freezing rain and ice begin to fall around 1am-3am Friday morning, with up to 1/4" of ice expected. This could effect power lines, trees, and limbs. 

Precipitation is expected to change to 100% snow around 7am and continue for the next 10-12 hours, bringing 10-14 inches of snow for the county, while northern areas could see as much as 2 FEET of snow. 

Sustained winds of 20mph are expected throughout the day, causing complete white-out conditions and snow drifts 2-3 times as high as snowfall amounts. 

Emergency workers said that the NWS warned that Edmonson County could see the March 2015 storm all over again, "except this time, it will be windier."

The good part is that temps are only supposed to bottom out in the low to mid 20's for Friday night and dipping down to the teens on Saturday night. That beats the sub-zero conditions Edmonson Countians experienced during last year's snow storm.

County officials are urging residents to be be prepared for the upcoming storm and try to stay indoors tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. 

We will keep you updated as details become available.

Edmonson County Schools will be cancelled for the third straight day on Friday, January 22, 2016, according to Superintendent of Schools, Patrick Waddell. 

More hazardous weather is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, which could make driving conditions even more difficult than they are now. Stay connected to EdmonsonVoice.com for all the latest updates!

Edmonson Voice Staff
The Edmonson County Water District was issued a boil water advisory for the residents of the Rocky Hill community and nearby area. 

Director Tony Sanders said a 6" water main broke sometime after midnight at the intersection of KY HWY 259 and US 31W (Crossroads). The line was repaired quickly, but to be as safe as possible, the department issued the advisory.

Sanders encouraged all residents to be part of the automated call system that alerts water district customers of advisories and other information in case of emergency.

"That's why we have our call system," he said. If you receive a call, you're under whatever advisory that's been issued. We only call the numbers that are inside the affected area." 

The advisory will remain in effect until water samples have been approved as safe for consumption. If you'd like to be included in the automated call system, please contact Edmonson County Water at 270-597-2165.

Edmonson Voice Staff
Police were dispatched to a residence on Louisville Road last night around 10:20pm after they received a 911 call from a female that claimed her ex-boyfriend was in her driveway with a loaded rifle. Police said while they were en route to the scene, the caller, still on the line, claimed she heard a gunshot from outside the home. The woman told dispatch she had two small children and was afraid to go outside. 

Police said that when they arrived on scene, the man had already fled the residence and deputies began searching the area. The 911 caller said the incident began as an argument and ended in a break-up. The woman also claimed the man threatened to commit suicide while he was carrying a loaded rifle.

Authorities said that around 45 minutes after police arrived, the man drove back into the area on a nearby road, and stopped and started again a few times, acting erratically. Deputies quickly met up with the man and pulled him over.