The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a Facebook post on December 27 that deputies had detained a box truck driver who was parked outside a Walter Hill convenience store “playing audio similar to what was heard before the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville.”
It later turned out to be a hoax. Sheriff’s officials identified the driver as James Turgeon, 33, of Murfreesboro. He’s been accused of filing a false report and tampering with evidence.
A review of his Facebook page shows it’s filled with pro Donald Trump graphics and comments. He owns a skip tracing business. His cover photo is a large graphic that reads, “I stand with Trump.”
Here’s another example:
Detective Sgt. Steve Craig said “patrol deputies responded to a call of the driver playing the audio loudly outside the Crossroads Market in Walter Hill,” according to a statement from the Department.
“During the course of the investigation, it was revealed Turgeon made a similar announcement at Kings Chapel Independent Missionary Baptist Church at Jefferson Pike and Dunaway Chapel Road while church was in service,” Craig said.
Lt. Bill Miller of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said THP’s Special Operations Unit “used a robot to check the truck,” Sheriff’s officials wrote.
“No device was detected,” Miller said.
The Sheriff’s Department’s post was not more specific about what the audio specifically said; in the Nashville explosion, the RV was playing music as well as a recorded message urging people to evacuate the area due to a bomb. A bomb did detonate in Nashville on Christmas morning from that RV, injuring three people and damaging at least 41 buildings. It’s not clear whether anyone was in actual danger from the recent box truck incident.
The headline on the Rutherford County post says, “Deputies detain box truck driver playing audio at store.” The box truck driver’s name was not released.
Here’s live video showing the box truck parked along the road.
In the case of the Nashville bombing, police have named the bomber as a computer contractor named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee. They say he died in the blast.
Here’s what you need to know:
Nearby Residents Were Evacuated as a Precaution
According to the Rutherford County post, “Sheriff’s deputies in Rutherford and Wilson Counties are investigating a box truck parked at a convenience store playing audio similar to what was heard before the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville.”
The Sheriff’s Department wrote: “The driver traveled from Rutherford County into Wilson County where he was stopped by deputies and detained.”
According to the post, “As a precaution, nearby residents were evacuated during the active investigation.” Walter Hill is located about an hour from Nashville.
The White Box Truck Was Parked at a Market
A statement released by Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the suspicious vehicle that was pulled over on Highway 231 South. The scene is still active.
The Wilson County Sheriff shared the Rutherford County statement on Twitter and wrote, “A statement released by Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the suspicious vehicle that was pulled over on Highway 231 South. The scene is still active.”
Police received the call on December 27, two days after the Nashville explosion.
“Rutherford County dispatchers received a call about 10:30 a.m. about the white box truck parked at Crossroads Market in Walter Hill. Deputies located the truck and made the traffic stop,” the post says.
“Rutherford and Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are working together in the ongoing investigation.”
The Nashville RV was playing a recording urging people to evacuate when officers arrived:
“If you can hear this message, evacuate now. This area must be evacuated now,” a woman’s recorded voice says in a monotone voice in the above video that captured the audio in Nashville.
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