200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

The resident exited his home and happened to notice that the lock on his garage was missing. He opened the garage door and observed a suspect, later identified as Justin Lawson, in the act of stealing his tools. Mr. Lawson was stuffing the tools into bags preparing them for transport.

The resident quickly turned the table on Mr. Lawson by making the shrewd decision to shut the garage door and lock him inside for safe-keeping while he called the police. Responding officers promptly opened the door and detained Mr. Lawson.

Further investigation revealed that Mr. Lawson had brought additional stolen goods with him to this garage that he had stolen from a neighbor’s garage on Fairfield Avenue just prior to this incident. The property stolen during that earlier burglary was positively identified by the neighbor and determined to have a value in excess of $1,000.

A subsequent search of Mr. Lawson’s person revealed a baggie in his sock that contained a crystal substance, believed to be methamphetamine, as well as two different types of pills. A glass pipe, typically associated with the ingestion of methamphetamine, was located among his loot.

Mr. Lawson was arrested for 2 counts of Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property over $1,000, Simple Drug Possession, and Possession of Unlawful Drug Paraphernalia. He was transported to the Kingsport City Jail for processing and then transferred to the Sullivan County Jail in Blountville for confinement.

He currently remains incarcerated pending arraignment. This marks Mr. Lawson’s fifth arrest by the Kingsport Police Department since September 2015 with all of his previous charges involving burglary, theft, and drug possession.

28 Years of Age

Kingsport, TN

2) Possession of Stolen Property over $1,000

3) Simple Drug Possession

4) Possession of Unlawful Drug Paraphernalia

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

The merchandise had been secured with electronic anti-theft devices, which the suspects disabled and destroyed to facilitate their crime. The vandalized devices had a value of an additional $500 on top of the value of the merchandise for a total loss of over $2,300.

The suspects exited the store with their loot through a fire door where they had a getaway vehicle staged. They fled the scene in that vehicle which appeared to be a full-size GMC pickup truck or similarly styled vehicle.

In an ironic twist, the theft of these surveillance cameras was captured by Wal-Mart surveillance cameras, with photos of both suspects and their vehicle included in this release. A clip of the actual footage has been made available for viewing on the K.P.D. YouTube channel via the link below.

https://youtu.be/hlDCuf7LIVk

Anyone who recognizes either of these suspects or their vehicle is asked to contact Detectives in the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division at 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111.

Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link:

https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-us

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

The Kingsport Police Department would like to suggest the following winter weather driving tips to area motorists.

1) When in doubt, STAY HOME. If the roads are covered with snow and/or ice and travel is not an emergency, the answer is simple…STAY OFF THE ROAD! Be patient and let Public Works crews do their job and get the roads cleared for safe travel.

2) If you absolutely must travel, slow everything down. Everything should be done slower…slower acceleration, slower braking, slower steering, etc. Also, plan ahead. If you know that you are going to need to stop or turn ahead, don’t wait until the last second to start the process. Motorists should also seek a route that incorporates the most level streets and the least amount of incline. And yes, this advice applies to seemingly invincible 4 wheel drive vehicles as well.

3) If you absolutely must travel, stock your car with emergency items such as a charged cell phone with charger, a flashlight with extra batteries, jumper cables, warm clothing, blankets, food, water, boots, gloves, a shovel, sand or cat litter for traction, etc.

4) Turn on your headlights…not just your corner parking lights, but your actual headlights. Your headlights should be on so that you can see, but even more importantly, so that you can be seen by other motorists. This suggestion is even more critical for automobiles that are the same color as snow (white) or the same color as the pavement (silver, gray, charcoal, black, etc.)

5) If your car becomes stuck and it is safely off the roadway, and you need to temporarily abandon it, call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111 and let them know who you are, the make, model, color, and license plate number of your vehicle, and a number where you can be reached. The vehicle will then need to be moved as soon as conditions improve sufficiently to allow doing so safely.

6) If your car becomes stuck and it is still in the roadway, do not abandon it. Turn on your hazard lights, call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111, and stay with your vehicle until a police officer and wrecker arrive to remove it from the traffic lane.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit