The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Knoxville man after he allegedly made threats against a former mayor of Rockwood and was found with several guns in his vehicle.

Thomas Pierce, 59, is a former long-time Rockwood city employee and is scheduled to go on trial in Roane County for theft of money from the City of Rockwood. On Friday, a vehicle matching the description of Pierce’s was located in Rockwood, and officers conducted a traffic stop. The TBI says Pierce was armed with several firearms in his vehicle.

Friday night, TBI Agents charged Pierce with one count of Retaliation for Past Actions, and four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. He was booked into the Roane County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

Tom Pierce used to work as the public works chief in Rockwood. Friday a tip came into the Roane County Sheriff’s Office that Pierce was heavily armed and threatening to kill people in Rockwood, including a city council member and possibly others.

Authorities received a tip about 1:30 p.m. Friday that Tom Pierce was “homicidal, suicidal” and had made threats to kill according to Rockwood Deputy Police Chief Bill Stinnett.

When Rockwood Police stopped Pierce he was found to be carrying a loaded handgun in his pocket and had two other handguns in his vehicle as well as a shotgun. He offered no resistance, according to Chief Stinnett.

Pierce already was free on bond awaiting prosecution in Roane County in the alleged theft of city funds while using two charge cards. A grand jury indicted him in February 2013 on counts that included theft, credit card fraud and official misconduct.

In February 2013, the state Comptroller of the Treasury reported they’d conducted an audit that showed Pierce had used a city credit card and a “city store charge card” to buy $32,725 in goods for his own use.

The audit found that Pierce bought weapons and ammunition valued at $11,900, clothing amounting to $7,263, and photo equipment valued at at least $5,697.

When city officials confronted him in February 2012, Pierce gave the city 12 guns, 149 boxes of ammunition as well as other items with a total value of more than $9,000, according to the comptroller.

Deputy Police Chief Stinnett praised the work Friday of Rockwood’s Sgt. Jason Halliburton and officers Jared Hall and Rachel Meyer as well as Capt. Tim Hawn of the Roane County Sheriff’s Office in detaining Pierce.