Maryville Police: Tellico Plains man held acquaintance at gunpoint

Editor’s note: It is The Daily Times’ policy not to identify the victims of reported assaults.

A Tellico Plains man faces felony kidnapping, robbery and burglary charges after police say he forced his way into an acquaintance’s home at gunpoint and beat him.

MPD Chief Tony Crisp told The Daily Times that Cale William Cornell, 33, took a gun to a Maryville man’s home on June 8 and used it to enter the home. Cornell, he said, beat the resident, leaving a deep gash in the man’s forehead and bruises across his body; he allegedly also took the man’s cellphone from him and kept him from fleeing.

The men had been arguing over a vehicle, Crisp said.

“There was blood in the house,” he said in a Monday, June 17, phone interview.

Crisp added that Cornell left the home after the beating. The Maryville man also left the residence and told a construction worker in the neighborhood that he’d been attacked. The construction worker called 911, and Maryville Police officers investigated and took out warrants for Cornell’s arrest.

The Maryville man was hospitalized; an affidavit filed with the Blount County General Sessions Court states that he suffered “severe bodily injury” during the reported assault.

Blount County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cornell Friday night, June 14, following a traffic stop. A deputy notes in a report of the stop that he drew his firearm during the arrest because of the nature of the accusations against Cornell.

Cornell was charged with especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping and especially aggravated burglary. He was being held in lieu of bonds totaling $150,000 and was set to appear in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 18.