Bradley County Fire Investigators have concluded their investigation of the fire that took place over the weekend at the Flea Land Flea Market at 5527 Waterlevel Highway.

Through eyewitness accounts and evidence from the scene, it has been determined that the cause of the fire was electrical – due to overloading and excessive use of extension cords.

The scene has been released back to the property owner with no other investigations pending.

On May 10th, 2022, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office and the Cleveland Police Department received numerous complaints related to a graphic video being shared throughout social media. In the video, a juvenile can be seen fatally wounding a dog with a large stick. The incident occurred in southern Bradley County on Carter Road.

Investigators from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office and the Cleveland Police worked quickly and cooperatively throughout this investigation to gather pertinent information in determining the suspects involved.

The person who can be seen in the video striking the dog was identified as well as the person recording the incident. Both juveniles were acting together and are 16 years of age. Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office and the Police Department located the juveniles and interviewed them at the Judicial Complex.

The juvenile seen committing the fatal assault as well as the person recording the assault were charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty and Intentional Killing of an Animal. Both juveniles were transported to the Bradley County Juvenile Detention Center.

Sheriff Steve Lawson added, “as the initial reports came in, my office and Cleveland Police Department Chief Mark Gibson were willing to work together alongside District Attorney Steve Crump to achieve a resolution, especially in a matter effecting the public to this degree”.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office worked through SPCA of Bradley County to set up cremation services for the deceased dog.

The arraignment for both juveniles is set for May 12th, 2022, in Bradley County Juvenile Court.

At approximately 11:55 pm on April 1st, 2022, a Bradley County Sheriff’s Office Deputy conducting a vehicle stop near Charleston, TN was involved in a shooting. One occupant of the vehicle was shot during the incident by the Bradley County deputy and succumbed to their injuries at the location of the vehicle stop.

Sheriff Steve Lawson notified the District Attorney General’s Office of the Tenth Judicial District and requested that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conduct an independent investigation of the incident per protocol.

Any additional questions related to this incident should be directed to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation until they have completed their review.

On March 8th, 2022, James Carpenter Jr. appeared in Bradley County Sessions Court, following a charge of 27 counts of child neglect, regarding a fire at Little Lambs Daycare on February 10th, 2022.

Ultimately, Judge Sheridan Randolph dismissed the 27 counts of child neglect against the daycare employee, due to his interpretation of the law regarding legal custody. Judge Randolph ruled the statue isn’t broad enough for this charge.

District Attorney General Steve Crump stated, “Judge Sheridan Randolph ruled that the children were “not in the custody” of the daycare and therefore the statue doesn’t apply. We obviously disagree with this ruling. Our office will be presenting the case to a grand jury in its next term.”

Sheriff Steve Lawson followed with “We are truly disappointed in this ruling. I am confident that our deputies and detectives performed efficiently and executed their job well. The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and present the case to a grand jury as soon as possible.”

A daycare worker has been charged with 27 counts of Child Neglect following a fire that occurred at Little Lambs Daycare on Waterlevel Highway on Thursday (February 10th, 2022) morning.

At 11:41AM, Bradley County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of an active fire at the daycare. The first unit arrived at approximately 11:42AM.

The Cleveland Police Department, Bradley EMS, and Bradley County Fire Rescue also responded to the scene

While responders were removing children from the building, they noticed open beer containers present in the room. Based on this evidence and further questioning, they believed the daycare worker to be under the influence of alcohol. The employee also admitted to consuming multiple alcoholic beverages while working at the daycare center today.

James Roger Carpenter Jr. was arrested and charged with 27 counts of Child Neglect. He is currently being held on a $135,000 bond at the Bradley County Jail.

The Bradley County School System provided a bus and transported the children to Ocoee Middle School to be safely picked up by parents and guardians.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office would like to acknowledge the BCSO Deputies of the 200 shift, BCSO Traffic Team, Cleveland Police Department, Bradley EMS, Bradley County Fire Rescue, and Bradley County 911 Center for their immediate response and involvement during this call, which resulted in the safe evacuation of 27 children with no injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

A call came in at 11:41AM (Thursday, February 10th) reporting a structure fire at Little Lambs Daycare, 2101 Waterlevel Hwy.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Bradley EMS, Bradley Fire Rescue, and the Cleveland Police Department responded immediately.

The fire was extinguished within a matter of minutes.

There are NO INJURIES and no one has been transported for medical treatment.

27 children and 4 staff members were evacuated to a nearby building at a safe distance.

Per the safety plan in place, the students are being moved to Ocoee Middle School to be picked up by parents and guardians.

Parents are still being notified and are being asked to meet their children for pickup at the Ocoee Middle School gym.

Last week, BCSO K9 Joker attended a routine appointment at Animal Emergency & Specialty Center of Chattanooga to follow up on the healing of his injuries that he obtained on September 22, 2021.

The doctor stated in K9 Joker’s discharge papers that “tracking is permitted” and K9 Joker was cleared to return to work with minor restrictions, due to the wonderful progression he has shown over the last several weeks. K9 Joker’s muzzle and feeding tube have since been removed – his jaw is now stabilized and he is currently on a soft diet.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Animal Emergency & Specialty Center of Chattanooga for the tremendous support they have shown to our department, K9 Joker, and The Choate Family during this time.

We are thrilled to share that K9 Joker is able to return to work with his partner, BCSO Deputy Eduardo Choate. K9 Joker has shown great interest in continuing to use his skills as a Narcotics and Tracking K9 and we wish him more years of success for as long as he is comfortably able to do so.

Around 12:45 am on October 25th, 2021, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported gunshot at a residence on Hancock Rd NE.

Upon arrival, the mother advised her 2-year-old child had suffered an accidental gunshot wound.

The child was immediately transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest and later passed away.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division detectives responded to the scene and conducted a preliminary investigation. It was then discovered that the firearm had been left unsecured and the child was able to gain access to it.

After consulting with the District Attorney’s Office, the father, Matthew Daniel Jenkins, has been charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank BCSO 100 Shift Patrol Deputies, The Bradley County 911 Center, EMS and Fire personnel, and BCSO Criminal Investigations Division for their teamwork and lifesaving efforts that were performed this morning.

Please understand that this is a heartbreaking tragedy. We send our deepest condolences and ask that you respect the privacy of the child’s family, friends, and loved ones while they grieve the loss of their child.

Sheriff Steve Lawson, District Attorney General Steve Crump, Circuit Court Clerk Gayla Miller, Judge Sheridan Randolph, Misdemeanor Probation Director Rich Kienlen, along with Richard Hughes from the Public Defender’s Office, would like to offer the public an opportunity to resolve any outstanding Bradley County Misdemeanor Failure to Appear (FTA) warrants without being arrested or booked on the charge.

If a General Sessions court date has been missed for any reason, October 25-29, 2021, will be a period for anyone with a Bradley County Misdemeanor Failure to Appear (FTA) warrant to come to the Bradley County Justice Center Circuit Court Clerk’s Office and reschedule a new court date.

If you have any questions, please call the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office at 423-728-7052 or the Misdemeanor Probation Office at 423-728-7121.