A local resident seeking election as a constable informed the Carter County Election Commission on Monday that he has received death threats since announcing his candidacy.

Brian Keener, who is running for Constable of the 2nd District in the upcoming County Primary election, appeared before the Election Commission Monday to answer questions that had been raised regarding his eligibility to run for office. The 2nd District is comprised of the Roan Mountain and Tiger Valley precincts.

Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris informed the Election Commission that her staff had received a phone call claiming that Keener does not reside at the address he listed on his application to run for Constable in the 2nd District. Harris said her staff investigated and determined that Keener does, in fact, reside at the address he provided. Harris said she and her staff looked at the address he has listed with the Tennessee Department of Safety for his driver’s license, confirmed he was receiving mail at the address, and had spoken with Keener.

During Monday’s meeting, Keener provided the Election Commission with a copy of his driver’s license, documentation from Carter County 911 regarding his residency, his voter registration card which lists his address, and a photograph of him receiving mail at his mailbox.

“I do live there,” Keener stated. “This has been a battle for me.”

The allegation made by the anonymous caller stating he does not reside at the address on his candidate petition is just one of the incidents that have happened since announcing his candidacy, Keener told the Election Commission.

“I’ve been run off the road four times, and I’ve received three death threats,” Keener said. “I had one call that told me I may get elected in May, but I’ll never live to get sworn in.”

Keener said he has also seen suspicious vehicles parked in front of his residence and has frequently been followed while driving back and forth from his residence to his business in Elizabethton.

“I just wanted to make you aware of it,” Keener told the Election Commission, adding he has reported the incidents to law enforcement officers.

Election Commission Chairman Doug Buckles directed Keener to also contact the District Attorney’s Office regarding the matter.

Harris said her office had also received an allegation that another candidate for constable in the 2nd District, Leonard Johnson, did not live at the address he listed on his paperwork. She said her staff investigated that allegation as well and determined that Johnson does, in fact, live at the address he provided.

The Election Office also received a complaint regarding a candidate for Carter County Commissioner in the 1st District. Harris said a caller reported that candidate Mark Blevins is a convicted felon and not able to hold public office.

Harris said she checked the record and while Blevins is a convicted felon, he had his voting rights restored. She then provided the Election Commission with a copy of the court order restoring Blevins’ right to vote and right to hold public office. The order was issued on August 13, 2008, by the Carter County Criminal Court and signed by then-Judge Lynn Brown. According to the Carter County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Blevins’ felony convictions occurred in February 1986, February 1989, and June 1990.

Members of the Carter County Election Commission voted to include all three questioned candidates on the ballot for the upcoming Primary Election after determining that they had all met the qualifications to be candidates.