Sweetwater man charged with three counts of attempted murder
A Sweetwater, Tennessee, man is behind bars on $375,000 bond on three counts of attempted murder and felony evading arrest after allegedly firing shots at McMinn County sheriff’s deputies early Friday during a pursuit.
Bradley Cole Steadmon, 23, is also charged with criminal conspiracy, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery in connection with the robbery call that initially drew law enforcement to a home on County Road 323 on Friday.
Officials in the McMinn Court Circuit Court Clerk’s Office said Steadmon has been arraigned on the charges and indicated to the court that he planned to hire an attorney. Court officials said Steadmon had not yet named his legal counsel on the court record.
Early Friday, McMinn County deputy Todd Levi answered a call reporting an armed robbery and possible kidnapping at Morgan’s junkyard on County Road 323 that took place the previous night, according to McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy. Levi notified other officers of the suspect’s name and the description of the small white car that Steadmon was believed to have taken the previous night, Guy said.
Just after 9 a.m. Friday, Sgt. Kevin Grey, Detective Jared Price and Deputy Doug Reed located the vehicle at a home on County Road 1340. While deputies were speaking with the property owner, Guy said, Steadmon ran outside and fled in the white car.
“The short pursuit eventually came down County Road 130 toward Athens,” Guy said. “As they neared Rocky Mount Church, the suspect pointed a rifle out the car window and fired at the deputies who were behind him. The suspect then drove off the road and fled a short distance on foot before being apprehended.”
No one was injured. According to an affidavit filed in court, Steadmon had two firearms in his possession when he got out of the car and fled, but as he ran he dropped the weapons.
An affidavit filed by Levi on the initial call on County Road 323 states that Steadmon went to the home of the junkyard owner — a longtime acquaintance — and woke him around 3 a.m. Friday.
Steadmon was with a woman when he went to the home and had been there about 25 minutes when Steadmon told the resident he was getting a glass of water.
The resident then heard his gun cabinet opening and Steadmon suddenly had a 9 mm pistol aimed at him, demanding $10,000 cash he said the resident owed him, the affidavit states.
The resident “stated Mr. Steadmon was pointing a gun at him and pulled the trigger and it did not go off,” the affidavit states. “Mr. Steadmon then racked the slide on the gun and fired a round into the kitchen floor.”
Officers found a bullet hole in that location that seemed to match the weapon.
Steadmon allegedly told the resident to have the money by noon Friday or he would kill him and his father, and then called repeatedly to see if the resident had collected the cash yet, the affidavit states.
The resident told authorities guns, tools and the white vehicle were all taken in the incident. All of the property was recovered at the end of the pursuit and the vehicle was recovered from a location on County Road 1340, the affidavit states.
“I was thankful that all of our deputies survived the encounter, and were able to make it home to their families,” Guy said. “We are also looking at the persons at the residence [on] … County Road 1340 as to their possible involvement in the incident as well as harboring Mr. Steadmon.”