JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP/CLARKSVILLENOW) — Police in Tennessee say they found a large cache of weapons, including two machine guns, on a driver pulled over for speeding.
The Johnson City Press quotes Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal as saying deputies found a .357-caliber Magnum, a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic, a .223-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, a .308-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, more than 900 rounds of ammunition, and survival equipment.
Graybeal says the discovery was made after the deputies stopped 43-year-old Scott A. Edmisten for speeding early Monday.
He says Edmisten threatened the arresting officer and lunged toward investigators who tried to question him after he was taken to a detention center.
Graybeal said Edmisten had lost custody of his children and written hostile letters to local judges.
He also said Edmisten won’t talk, so officials are still trying to determine why he had the weapons, as well as a mask and black fatigues.
Graybeal said he thinks his deputy “made all the difference in the world to someone” when he made a traffic stop before daybreak Monday that uncovered the weapons.
Graybeal described the combination of circumstances surrounding Edmisten as “just one of those situations where nothing seemed right.”
Edmisten has been jailed without bond on charges of possessing prohibited weapons, speeding, and felony evading arrest. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney.
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