A Carter County constable faces felony charges after police say he pulled a gun on a motorist during a traffic stop and unlawfully detained the man.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of Barney G. Brown, 74, of Stanley Hollow Road, Roan Mountain, on an indictment charging him with one count each of aggravated assault and official oppression. Brown serves as one of two elected constables representing the county’s 2nd District, which includes the Roan Mountain and Tiger Valley precincts.
Under state law, aggravated assault is listed as a Class C or Class D felony, depending on the circumstances of the incident. Official oppression is designated a Class E felony. State law defines “official oppression” as “A public servant acting under color of office or employment commits an offense who: (1) Intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, stop, frisk, halt, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment or lien when the public servant knows the conduct is unlawful; or (2) Intentionally denies or impedes another in the exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege, power or immunity, when the public servant knows the conduct is unlawful.”
According to a statement released by the TBI, Brown’s arrest followed an investigation by the TBI and the Carter County Sheriff’s Office into an incident in December at the request of District Attorney General Tony Clark.
“The investigation revealed that on December 2nd, Brown initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling along Highway 19E in Hampton,” the TBI statement said. “During the traffic stop, Brown pulled a gun on the driver and unlawfully detained him.”
On Monday, TBI agents presented the results of their investigation to the Carter County Grand Jury, which handed down the indictment that same day.
Following his arrest on Tuesday, Brown was booked into the Carter County Detention Center and was held on a $25,000 bond.
Brown was elected to serve as constable for the county’s 2nd District in August of 2010. In a letter to county officials, Brown resigned the post on September 17, 2010. He did not state a reason for his resignation in the letter. When the County advertised to find his replacement, Brown applied to be re-appointed, citing support from the community asking him not to resign. On Oct. 18, 2010, the Carter County Commission selected Brown out of four candidates to fill the position. Brown was re-elected to serve as constable during the August 2014 election.