JAMESTOWN MAN SAID HE WANTED TO KILL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, DRIVES TRUCK INTO COURTHOUSE

A Fentress County man was charged with terrorism after authorities said he deliberately drove his truck into the courthouse.

It all started Tuesday morning around 10 am when police chief Ken Hancock spotted a truck driven by a man he knew had a revoked license.

Jamestown Police Detective Rob Lower said the chief attempted to pull the driver, Jacob L. Tinch, over, but he refused to stop. The chief pursued Tinch’s vehicle for about mile and a half into downtown. That’s when Lower said that Tinch turned onto the courthouse lawn, lined up his truck with the sidewalk, hit the gas and crashed through the glass front doors of the building.

The truck slammed into the property assessor’s office, where Lower said the property assessor managed to pull another man inside out of the way of the truck.

No one was hurt.

Lower said Tinch, 66, was charged with an act of terrorism because he said he wanted to kill government officials. He was also charged with reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, felony evading and several traffic charges.

The courthouse was closed until an inspection can determine how much damage was done and if the building is structurally safe. (WBIR)