UNION COUNTY, Tenn. — A Saturday evening crash in Sharps Chapel killed 3 people and began with contact with a Union County Constable, the Tennessee Constable's Association said in a statement to 10News.
Investigators have identified Joshua Scott as one of the deceased. On Thursday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol identified the other two victims as Caleb Bales 29, and Kevin Smith, 50.
According to THP's preliminary crash report, Smith was driving a pick-up truck south on Maynardville Highway with Bales as a passenger while Scott was driving north in a minivan. Smith's truck crossed over the center line and hit Scott's van head-on, THP said. The truck then went off the road over a guardrail and caught fire.
Tennessee Constable's Association said Constable John Dennis responded to reports of a truck driving recklessly in Sharp's Chapel. Dennis saw the white truck stopped in a parking lot and tried to talk to the driver, the association said.
Constables are elected law enforcement in Tennessee. They have the same law enforcement powers as police and sheriff's deputies, but almost none of the oversight.
"The vehicle left towards Highway 33 at a high rate of speed," TCA said in an emailed statement. "Constable Dennis caught a glimpse of the vehicle as it ran the stop sign on Sharps Chapel Rd at Highway 33."
Dennis then saw the truck collide head-on with a van on the other side of the road, the statement said.
Both people in the truck and one person in the van died at the scene, the constable's association said. WBIR has learned the person in the van was Scott.
Scott worked as an apprentice funeral director and embalmer at Green Hills Funeral Home in Middlesboro, Kentucky. His bio on the home's website said he graduated from Hancock County High School in 2019 and pursuing a degree in Mortuary Science.
Scott lived in Tazewell, the website said.
Union County District Attorney General Jared Effler said in a statement to 10News that his office is in consultation with the Union County Sheriff's Office and Tennessee Highway Patrol.
"THP's Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the crash," Effler said in a text message. "Once their investigation is complete, the results of that investigation will be released to our office for consideration."
Under Tennessee law, constables are required to participate in 40 hours of training every year. Jacob Thompson, the Secretary-Treasurer of the TCA said Dennis completed 45 hours of training last year -- 38 hours in-person and 7 hours virtually.
The fiery crash shut down Highway 33 in Union County for several hours on Saturday. The Union County Rescue Squad and several other agencies responded to the wreck.