Tennessee news briefs



Woman, 72, holds men at gunpoint for police
SUMMERTOWN (AP) — Two men have been arrested in Lawrence County because a 72-year-old great-grandmother held them at gunpoint for police.
The Daily Herald (http://bit.ly/h6rHZ ) in Columbia reported police believe Flo Amstreet foiled a robbery of the Dollar General Store next door.
Armstreet said she pointed a pistol at the men who got out of a car behind her Summertown flea market and ordered them to put their hands on the vehicle where she could see them. Neighbors called police and arrived to help Armstreet on Sunday night.
Lawrence County Police arrested two 21-year-old men — Travis G. Carter of Spring Hill and Freddie Currie II of Columbia. They are charged with attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated criminal trespass, marijuana possession and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Armstreet said she would have shot them if necessary.
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Unicoi County closes school near sinkhole
ERWIN (AP) — The sinkhole won. Unicoi County has closed an elementary school.
The county school board voted unanimously to permanently close Love Chapel Elementary School on Thursday after receiving an engineering report on the school ground.
After the vote, Director of Schools Denise Brown told the Johnson City Press (http://bit.ly/VYQlWn ) the county can’t send students back into an unsafe environment.
A passer-by spotted the sinkhole Aug. 18 and notified authorities. The chasm turned out to be 120 feet deep and grew to 25 feet in diameter.
Students were assigned to different schools and Love Chapel remained closed.
Brown said test borings and seismograph readings showed sinkholes in four areas and two others were in the process of developing holes.

Published in The Messenger 2.15.13