Sevier officers arrest two men after attempted home invasion

Knox-news sentinel ^ | 10/25/2007 | News Sentinel staff

[KodakKing]

GATLINBURG — Sevier County sheriff’s officers charged two men who allegedly impersonated police officers and wore camouflage clothing during a home invasion attempt that prompted a gun battle with a homeowner, according to authorities.

Robert Joel Hawkins, 21, and Isaiah Ray Kemp, 22, both of Sevierville, were charged with attempted aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and six counts each of reckless endangerment, according to a release from Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals.

The pair are accused of attempting to enter the home at 429 King Branch Road. Authorities were alerted at 11:13 p.m. Tuesday of the incident, Seals said in the release.

The homeowner told officers that two men dressed in camouflage clothing with stockings over their faces knocked on the door and claimed to be police officers. When the men couldn’t provide police identification, the homeowner refused to open the door, Seals said in the release.

The two intruders then displayed a handgun and an AR-15 rifle and pointed the weapons at people in the home, Seals said. The homeowner got his own weapon, and the two men ran. The homeowner fired at the fleeing men, and they returned fire before leaving in a dark-colored truck, Seals said in the release. No one was injured during the gunfight.

Sevier County deputies stopped a truck on Upper Middle Creek Road as it was leaving the area and found camouflage clothing, an AR-15 rifle, a handgun and a bullet-resistant vest in the vehicle, Seals said. Seals said the investigation is continuing.

[KodakKing]

The reckless endangerment charges stem from a number of children that were present at the home.

[OrangeDaisy]

Stupid criminals. Everybody’s armed in east TN!

[coloradan]

[Men wearing] stockings over their faces knocked on the door and claimed to be police officers

I don't think too many departments issue stockings to their officers, so this cover story seems just a bit dubious.

[Lurker]

I don't think too many departments issue stockings to their officers

The Feds do.

L

[Crucis Country]

That’s so they can’t be identified and sued when they screw up.

[300magnum]

Ping.

[libstripper]

RIGHT ON, BABE!! The Gun of the Month Club has nearly driven me out of my house here in southwest Knox County.

[Gilbo_3]

Feds wouldnt have knocked...I figure the home invader types to start using this tactic more often to gain a few seconds of surprise...

[KodakKing]

An interesting side note to this story is that you will find no mention of it in the mountain press website, the local paper for Sevier County. http://www.themountainpress.com They wouldn’t want the tourists to know we have ANY crime at all.

[libstripper]

I similar thing happened when I was growing up in a Chicago suburb many, many years ago. The mother of one of the kids I knew, and wife of one of the town's more prominent citizens, went crazy one day, tried to murder one of her kids, failed, and committed suicide by slitting her own throat. The local newspaper only briefly covered the, carefully leaving out all the really wet details. You had to go to the Chicago Tribune, at the time a good conservative Republican paper, to get the full, accurate details.