BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Deputies with the Blount County Sheriff's Office said a man was arrested after threatening a woman with a gun and swinging an ax at her.
They said they responded to calls about the incident on Sunday and when they arrived a woman told them that Charles Backus, 41, drove to her home to get items from the attic, located through the garage. They said a restraining order was placed on Backus from the Department of Children's Services on behalf of the woman's grandchild, and he was not allowed at the home.
She told deputies that she was sitting in a chair in her garage when he started walking towards her with a handgun, knocking her out of the chair. She said she went to push Backus back when he picked up an ax and swung it at her.
The woman said she went inside and locked the doors. She said she later looked through the window and saw Backus holding a rifle and aiming it at her through the window. She said she then called 911 and crawled away from the window to her bedroom, where she also said that she found a suicide note on her pillow from Backus.
Police later found Backus driving and pulled his car over on Alcoa Highway, taking him into custody. He was charged with aggravated assault. Deputies said they found the ax and rifle used in the altercation and took them as well.
According to a report from the Blount County Sheriff's Office, Backus also told police officers who pulled him over that he gathered some guns from the garage and put them in his car. Backus told police that no guns were taken out of their cases, according to the report. He also told police that the interaction did not get physical.
Officers said they found a rifle in a black case with two other guns, matching the woman's description. Backus was taken to the Blount County Jail.