“Armed and Dangerous AT hiker”

[Zed]

Looks like Machete is in jail, and a hiker is reporting on Reddit of multiple stabbings north of Adkins. Damn it.

https://www.facebook.com/15958104573...2315560345987/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Appalachian...m_source=share

[Uncle Joe]

According to multiple FB pages he apparently made it back to the trail, attacked someone, and is back in custody.

[BlackCloud]

Thank God someone rushed to judge.

Still think this was a rush to judgment? Watching the fb video of 3 eyewitnesses made it pretty clear this man is a danger to society. Now someone has been attacked. When a person pulls out a knife a threatens you or your animal, you take it seriously.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Unconfirmed reports are that there are possibly two stabbing victims and that one woman may have died. The AT is reported to be closed from approx. Marion, VA to Bland, VA until Sunday morning while authorities search for more possible victims in what is being called a crime scene. Sovereign is in custody...again...

Not a lot of "official" news at this point, only that there is an incident and a crime scene in the area from Partnership Shelter in Sugar Grove, Va., to where the trail intersects with Highway 42. Wythe and Smyth County Sheriffs and VA State Police are involved.

Related articles:

https://wcyb.com/news/local/section-...owing-incident

https://thetrek.co/section-appalachi...orted-assault/

[Alligator]

https://www.wjhl.com/local/section-o...ion/1996343950

https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/s...n-wythe-county

[4eyedbuzzard]

Two victims. Status not reported. Machete recovered. Suspect in custody. https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/s...n-wythe-county

Unofficial reports from other sources are that the victims are one man and one woman. Some say both injured, some say one injured, one deceased.

[greenmtnboy]

I'm very sorry to hear about the terrible updates on this dangerous person. Earlier no one was willing to show up at court to testify against him, which I realize is a huge inconvenience. Hopefully this time there will be no reluctance to testify and law enforcement makes sure he gets real jail time.

[Traffic Jam]

I’m sick of violence. Sick of it.

[Lone Wolf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v0j...ature=youtu.be

[generoll]

Jailed with charges. Guy with little money needs a lawyer, hopefully he has a family member that will come to his aid. The guy was on a schedule 6 drug. https://discoveryplace.info/legal/drug-laws-tennessee/ That may be pot. What happens to the dog? He is a sick person needing help more than a dangerous criminal. I guess we can all sleep more soundly knowing dangerous people like "sovereign" is no longer a free man.

I wonder what sort of mindset let this guy go free.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I wonder what sort of mindset let this guy go free.

The hikers assaulted in Unicoi Cty, TN roughly 3 weeks ago were apparently reluctant to press for assault charges, hang around or travel back as witnesses. The police/prosecutor probably had no other charges other than the sched 6 drugs, public intox, and giving a fictitious name. He pleaded guilty to those lesser charges and was released after he, or someone, paid his fine. He then wound up back on the trail. A shuttler bought him a bus ticket to try to get him to go home to MA, but obviously that didn't happen either. But yeah, he should have been locked up for assault (swinging a shovel at people and threatening them) and tried back in TN.

[SkeeterPee]

The hikers assaulted in Unicoi Cty, TN roughly 3 weeks ago were apparently reluctant to press for assault charges, hang around or travel back as witnesses.

Do you have any evidence of that? I've not read that. Perhaps the DA did not think he could win a case on so little evidence when no one was actually physically attacked at the time. Where is the evidence that the hikers would not prosecute?

[4eyedbuzzard]

Do you have any evidence of that? I've not read that. Perhaps the DA did not think he could win a case on so little evidence when no one was actually physically attacked at the time. Where is the evidence that the hikers would not prosecute?

The hikers stated the nature of the assault regarding swinging the shovel, brandishing the knife, and threatening. Maybe that doesn't meet the level of what the police/prosecutor in TN wanted, I don't know. And yes, I and others are speculating regarding why, but the best guess is that the thru-hikers left because they wanted to move on with their hike. Maybe TN is different than the places I live, but with multiple eyewitnesses swearing to both physical actions (swinging shovel at people, brandishing the knife) and threats, he would have been charged with assault in either NH or TX if police had witnesses to testify. I can't imagine TN is any different. Assault charges don't require actual physical harm to be done, at least in most states. Add that he used a weapon (the shovel and knife) and they could have charged him with aggravated assault and locked him up for quite a while even if the victims never returned for the court date. Too bad they didn't.

[Traffic Jam]

There is only one person to blame.

[TNhiker]

Do you have any evidence of that? I've not read that. Perhaps the DA did not think he could win a case on so little evidence when no one was actually physically attacked at the time. Where is the evidence that the hikers would not prosecute?

it's in this article....and i think it made it into other news outlets articles...


https://wcyb.com/news/local/update-a...d-to-probation

[Lone Wolf]

Do you have any evidence of that? I've not read that. Perhaps the DA did not think he could win a case on so little evidence when no one was actually physically attacked at the time. Where is the evidence that the hikers would not prosecute?

i spoke with a LEO yesterday that confirmed this

[FrogLevel]

I wonder what happened to the dog.

[chknfngrs]

I thought he made off to SNP?

As said above, I am also sick of violence.

[Lone Wolf]

he most likely got off the bus in Marion.

[One Half]

I wonder what sort of mindset let this guy go free.

The mindset that says we DON'T address mental health issues until someone commits a crime and then we put them in jail.

Or, if anything is done for mental health it's DRUGS that create more problems in WAY TOO MANY cases.