Man in custody for stealing, crashing Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicle

PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has taken a man into custody for stealing a trooper’s vehicle in Smith County and crashing it in Putnam County in June.

According to a post from the Cookeville THP on X, 55-year-old Charles D. Lawson has been taken into custody. A follow-up post from THP thanked the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office “for their officers who searched side by side with our troopers and who provided K-9’s for tracking.”

“Many thanks for the assistance from the public,” the Cookeville THP’s post read.

THP told News 2 that troopers were on patrol in Smith County when they noticed a suspicious vehicle parked at the Buffalo Valley rest area on Interstate 40 around 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 30. When authorities went to investigate the vehicle, they found Lawson sleeping inside.

At one point, Lawson was secured in a patrol vehicle, but as the troopers interviewed another person on the scene, Lawson got control of the patrol vehicle and fled the scene. Lawson eventually crashed the stolen THP vehicle on Tucker Ridge Road in Putnam County, officials said.

No additional details were immediately released.

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