*Updated information has been added since the initial release.
COOKEVILLE – Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested a Knoxville man, after he made threats against a former mayor of Rockwood and was found with several guns in his vehicle.
At the request of 9th District Attorney General Russell Johnson, TBI Special Agents joined investigators with the Rockwood Police Department and the District Attorney’s office in investigating threats made by Thomas William Pierce against a former Rockwood mayor. Pierce, 59, is a former long-time Rockwood city employee, and is set to go on trial in Roane County for theft of money from the City of Rockwood. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Pierce had made threats against the former mayor. On Friday, a vehicle matching the description of Pierce’s was located in Rockwood, and officers conducted a traffic stop. The investigation revealed that Pierce was armed with several firearms in his vehicle.
Friday night, TBI Agents charged Thomas Pierce, of Knoxville, with one count of Retaliation for Past Actions, and four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. On Saturday, Pierce was additionally charged with one count of Aggravated Stalking. He is booked into the Roane County Jail on a $250,000 bond.