BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — A wanted Louisville man is in custody after Blount County deputies said he violated probation and assaulted a deputy.
According to the Blount County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was driving on Airbase Road near Alcoa Highway around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when he spotted a driver, 45-year-old Francis Joseph James Murphy-Rodriguez, who was wanted on a felony warrant for violating the sex offender registry.
The deputy said the man pulled over and complied at first, but said they got into a fight after the man resisted. BCSO said Murphy-Rodriguez ignored commands, so the deputy used his Taser.
Three people who were driving by stopped to help the deputy take Murphy-Rodriguez in custody.
“I am thankful for the willingness of these individuals who assisted our deputy,” Sheriff James Lee Berrong said. “Not everyone is courageous enough to come to the aid of a law enforcement officer who’s in an active fight with someone on the side of the road. Though deputies were in route to assist, in these instances, seconds count. These three men made a difference in the outcome of this incident.”
BCSO said the Alcoa Fire Department responded and assessed the man for injuries, saying he was treated for abrasions on his right arm from the Taser.
The man was taken to the Blount County Correctional Facility and served warrants for violation of probation, assaulting a first responder, resisting a stop, evading arrest, and driving on a suspended license. BCSO said other charges are pending.
Murphy-Rodriguez is being held on bonds totaling $11,000 and is on hold without bond for violating probation. BCSO said he will face charges in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. on Nov. 3.