Boy killed by lightning strike in Tennessee
MCKENZIE, Tenn. – Authorities say a boy has been killed by a lightning strike in western Tennessee.
WBBJ-TV reports that the Weakley County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release saying the 7-year-old boy was among a group of children who were playing by a tree that was hit by lightning on Monday in McKenzie.
A medical examiner has ruled the boy’s death an accident. His name was not immediately released.
5 members of meth distribution network sentenced
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Five people were sentenced to federal prison for working together to sell methamphetamine in Tennessee.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Greeneville said the five were sentenced last week to prison terms ranging from 10 years to more than 17 years.
U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors said the group was part of a meth distribution network that sold drugs in east Tennessee, including Hawkins County.
About a dozen other members of the network also have been convicted of conspiring to distribute meth.
Prosecutors said 61-year-old David Jones, of Chatsworth, Georgia, supplied the organization with meth to sell. Jones was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Two in custody after pursuit in Grundy County
ALTAMONT, Tenn. – Authorities in Grundy County, Tennessee, took two men and a juvenile into custody after a low-speed pursuit overnight Monday into Tuesday that stretched from neighboring Warren County into Grundy before ending in the Hubbard’s Cove community near Altamont. Officials said the driver also tried to run a deputy off the road.
Grundy Sheriff Clint Shrum said 24-year-old Tyler McClure, of Morrison, and 23-year-old Tyler Moore, of McMinnville, were taken into custody at the scene.
Shrum said deputies found suspected methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana inside the vehicle McClure, Moore and a juvenile were in during the pursuit. When the low-speed pursuit reached Hubbard’s Cove, Shrum said the driver “attempted to push a patrol vehicle off the roadway.” The patrol car sustained only minor damage and the deputy was uninjured, officials said.
McClure and Moore are each charged with evading arrest, DUI, possession of schedule II drugs for resale, possession of schedule VI drugs and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. McClure, identified as the driver of the car, is also charged with aggravated assault, Shrum said. The juvenile with the two adult men was detained and transported back to authorities in Warren County, the sheriff said.
Shrum said a $30,000 bond was set Tuesday for McClure while Moore’s bond was set at $18,000. The two men face a court appearance June 1.
Rainfall causes river to flood
HELEN, Ga. – Forecasters said heavy rain caused a river to flood in a north Georgia city.
The National Weather Service said up to seven inches of rain caused flooding to creeks and rivers in the city of Helen, Georgia, around 10 a.m. Wednesday. The weather service issued a flash flood warning for White and Towns counties into the Wednesday evening.
WAGA-TV reported several roads near the downtown area were shut down because of the rising water, which is about knee height.
No injuries or structural damage had been reported.
Helen Police said emergency officials are monitoring the water levels.