Mt. Juliet Police Newsroom

Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Mt. Juliet Police leadership continue to laud the Coffee With a Cop program that has been going strong for two years. To celebrate the 2-year anniversary of the program, the department has planned an ‘Evening Edition’ of Coffee With a Cop on Thursday, June 18, 2015. Traditionally, the event is held on a Friday morning, but many citizens have requested to have a Coffee With a Cop in the evening. After hearing the many requests, the department is going to try it out.

The ‘Evening Edition’ of Coffee With a Cop will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Lasaters Coffee, located at 1400 N. Mt. Juliet Road. The public is encouraged to stop by, and enjoy free coffee with cops, provided by Lasaters Coffee.

“This program has gone beyond my expectations, it’s great. At every Coffee With a Cop the community comes out to show their support for us, ask questions, and children even show up dressed as police officers,” Police Chief James Hambrick said. “We also continue to meet and see new faces at each event, which is extremely important to me. I want our community to know who protects them, and this event gives them the opportunity to meet their protectors face-to-face in a relaxed environment.”

The Coffee With a Cop program is a non-traditional way to generate conversation between the police department and community it serves. This event allows the public to interact with police officers, including top Department leadership, in an informal setting to ask questions or address concerns.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A Mt. Juliet Police vehicle was struck while an officer was tending to a single car crash on Interstate 40. On May 26, 2015 around 1:05 p.m. an officer was on the scene of a single-car hydroplane crash on Interstate 40 East near the 226 mile-marker when his police car was hit by vehicle that hydroplaned.

Prior to the impact, the police vehicle was parked on the right shoulder of the interstate with its blue lights and traffic directional bar activated. A Honda Accord, travelling in the far left lane, hydroplaned, spun-out, hit the left wall, and bounced across to the right shoulder, striking the patrol vehicle. After striking the patrol car, the Accord spun in front of the patrol car. At the time of the crash, the officer was out of the police car and 100 feet ahead, on the right shoulder, tending to the original crash.

The driver and only occupant of the Accord, an adult female, received very minor injuries as a result of the crash and was not transported by ambulance. The officer helped the driver through her driver-side window due to all the doors being inoperable and a large amount of fuel leaking. Thankfully, the officer was unharmed in the incident.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to investigate the crash, which is department policy anytime a Mt. Juliet police vehicle is involved in a crash.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A drug-related search warrant was executed at a home in the Windtree Trace neighborhood this afternoon. On May 26, 2015 around 1:20 p.m., Crime Suppression Unit officers served a search warrant at 678 Whispering Breeze. The search warrant was a result of an ongoing investigation related to the sale of illegal drugs. The investigation began after an anonymous person gave investigators information about the home.

A search of the home revealed over 2 pounds of marijuana, 13 Xanax pills, 2 handguns, and many different drug paraphernalia items. A 17-year-old male juvenile was found in possession of the illegal items. The juvenile was also wearing a holster for a handgun on his person. He is now being held at the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Facility until his court appearance.

The juvenile was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Simple Possession of a Schedule IV Drug, and Possession of a Schedule VI Drug with Intent for Resale.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Two Wilson County Schools will be the site of a full-scale active shooter training exercise on Tuesday, June 2 to test how well a host of responders, such as police, emergency management, fire, leadership, and school resources, can work together to handle and recover from such a tragic incident.

Coordinated by Mt. Juliet Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency, Wilson County Sheriff’s Department School Resource Officers, Wilson County Schools, and Mt. Juliet Fire Department will all be participating in the exercise. Prior to this planned exercise, the involved agencies have been participating in workshops and tabletop drills. After the exercise, everyone involved will have an additional workshop to address any shortcomings that are discovered.

The active shooter training exercise will take place on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at an undisclosed building on the campus of Mt. Juliet Middle School and/or Elzie Patton Elementary School. Students will be out of school, so classes will not be affected. Only those involved in the exercise will have access to the areas near Mt. Juliet Middle School and Elzie Patton Elementary School. Woodridge Place will be closed to traffic during the event. Those who live off of Woodridge Place are asked to exit via Curd Road and Golden Bear Gateway.

The risk of having such an incident at a Mt. Juliet school is low, but the training will provide an opportunity for everyone involved to practice their response to be better prepared.

“We hope that we never have to respond to such a tragedy in our community, but if we have to, I want to ensure that our emergency responders have the necessary training so they can provide the best response,” said Police Chief James Hambrick.

Media Partners:

If media wishes to cover this event, please contact Lt. Tyler Chandler at tchandler@mjpd.org for details.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A pick-up truck flipped over in Charlie Daniels Park’s parking lot after a 17-year-old driver drove carelessly, striking another car. On May 22, 2015 around 11:00 a.m., emergency responders were dispatched to a 2-car crash with possible injuries in the parking lot of Charlie Daniels Park (1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway). Upon arrival, a 1990 Ford Ranger pick-up was observed flipped onto its top and a 2001 Ford Taurus with front-driver-side damage.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford Ranger operator, a 17-year-old male, was driving carelessly at a high-rate of speed through the parking lot when the Ranger struck a Ford Taurus as it was turning around in the parking lot. The Ford Taurus was operated by a 17-year-old male. The operator of the Ford Ranger was issued a citation for Careless and Negligent Driving.

Thankfully, no one was harmed during this incident, which was all captured on surveillance video. This incident should be a reminder that unsafe, careless driving behavior can lead to serious crashes and consequences. As children go out of school for the summer, parents are urged to remind and speak to their children about operating a vehicle safely and responsibly.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – An officer investigating a crash this afternoon found heroin hidden in a flashlight after the driver gave consent to have her car searched. Around 3:15 p.m. on May 20, 2015 officers were dispatched to investigate a non-injury crash, involving 2 cars, on S. Mt. Juliet Road near Providence Marketplace. During the crash investigation, an officer asked one of the car owners consent to search their vehicle, which was granted.

During the search of the vehicle, the officer located a flashlight in the center console. The officer removed the battery cap to the flashlight and discovered two small baggies containing heroin. Further investigation revealed that the heroin belonged to a passenger in the searched vehicle, who was identified as Timothy Lankford, 34, of Nashville.

Lankford admitted to officers that he was engaged in activity related to the sale the heroin. Lankford was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Possession of a Schedule I Drug with Intent for Resale. He is set to appear in court on July 9, 2015, under a $20,000 bond.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – An attempted carjacking suspect is in jail tonight after he was apprehended after a short search. Around 12:55 p.m. on May 19, 2015 a 16-year-old female, parked at Adams Lane Plaza (151 Adams Lane), was approached by an unknown white male with a handgun while she sat in a car’s front passenger seat with a young child sibling in the back seat. The 16-year-old noticed the suspect approaching from behind, and she immediately locked the doors.

The suspect attempted to get into the locked vehicle several times, but the suspect ran away when he was unsuccessful. Multiple witness saw the suspect run away and out of sight.

Mt. Juliet Police, with the assistance of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, searched the area for the suspect. A Nixle, text message alert, was sent to the public with the suspect’s description. After the text alert, a citizen recognized a person matching the suspect’s description at Walmart (300 Pleasant Grove Road) and called police communications.

Officers immediately responded to Walmart and attempted to stop the suspect after he was located inside the store. After a short foot pursuit and deployment of a taser, the suspect was stopped. The suspect was armed at the time he was taken into custody.

“I’m so grateful that this dangerous felon was quickly apprehended today. Our partnerships with the community and Wilson County Sheriff’s Department are invaluable,” stated Police Chief James Hambrick. “We may have physically apprehended this individual, but it was the connection that we have with our community that led to the suspect’s discovery. I’m thankful for all the citizens who are engaged with us on social media and Nixle, our text alert system.”

The suspect was identified as Joshua Paul Hilton Holt, 30, of Hermitage. Holt was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Attempted Carjacking, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, Evading Arrest, Vandalism, and Simple Possession of a Sch. VI Drug. Holt is set to appear in court on July 9, 2015, under a $113,000.00 bond.

Holt is a convicted felon and on felony parole out of Michigan for unarmed robbery and home invasion – 2nd degree.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – An attempted carjacking suspect is in jail tonight after he was apprehended after a short search. Around 12:55 p.m. on May 19, 2015 a 16-year-old female, parked at Adams Lane Plaza (151 Adams Lane), was approached by an unknown white male with a handgun while she sat in a car’s front passenger seat with a young child sibling in the back seat. The 16-year-old noticed the suspect approaching from behind, and she immediately locked the doors.

The suspect attempted to get into the locked vehicle several times, but the suspect ran away when he was unsuccessful. Multiple witness saw the suspect run away and out of sight.

Mt. Juliet Police, with the assistance of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, searched the area for the suspect. A Nixle, text message alert, was sent to the public with the suspect’s description. After the text alert, a citizen recognized a person matching the suspect’s description at Walmart (300 Pleasant Grove Road) and called police communications.

Officers immediately responded to Walmart and attempted to stop the suspect after he was located inside the store. After a short foot pursuit and deployment of a taser, the suspect was stopped. The suspect was armed at the time he was taken into custody.

“I’m so grateful that this dangerous felon was quickly apprehended today. Our partnerships with the community and Wilson County Sheriff’s Department are invaluable,” stated Police Chief James Hambrick. “We may have physically apprehended this individual, but it was the connection that we have with our community that led to the suspect’s discovery. I’m thankful for all the citizens who are engaged with us on social media and Nixle, our text alert system.”

The suspect was identified as Joshua Paul Hilton Holt, 30, of Hermitage. Holt was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Attempted Carjacking, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, Evading Arrest, Vandalism, and Simple Possession of a Sch. VI Drug. Holt is set to appear in court on July 9, 2015, under a $113,000.00 bond.

Holt is a convicted felon and on felony parole out of Michigan for unarmed robbery and home invasion – 2nd degree.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – An attempted carjacking suspect is in jail tonight after he was apprehended after a short search. Around 12:55 p.m. on May 19, 2015 a 16-year-old female, parked at Adams Lane Plaza (151 Adams Lane), was approached by an unknown white male with a handgun while she sat in a car’s front passenger seat with a young child sibling in the back seat. The 16-year-old noticed the suspect approaching from behind, and she immediately locked the doors.

The suspect attempted to get into the locked vehicle several times, but the suspect ran away when he was unsuccessful. Multiple witness saw the suspect run away and out of sight.

Mt. Juliet Police, with the assistance of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, searched the area for the suspect. A Nixle, text message alert, was sent to the public with the suspect’s description. After the text alert, a citizen recognized a person matching the suspect’s description at Walmart (300 Pleasant Grove Road) and called police communications.

Officers immediately responded to Walmart and attempted to stop the suspect after he was located inside the store. After a short foot pursuit and deployment of a taser, the suspect was stopped. The suspect was armed at the time he was taken into custody.

“I’m so grateful that this dangerous felon was quickly apprehended today. Our partnerships with the community and Wilson County Sheriff’s Department are invaluable,” stated Police Chief James Hambrick. “We may have physically apprehended this individual, but it was the connection that we have with our community that led to the suspect’s discovery. I’m thankful for all the citizens who are engaged with us on social media and Nixle, our text alert system.”

The suspect was identified as Joshua Paul Hilton Holt, 30, of Hermitage. Holt was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Attempted Carjacking, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, Evading Arrest, Vandalism, and Simple Possession of a Sch. VI Drug. Holt is set to appear in court on July 9, 2015, under a $113,000.00 bond.

Holt is a convicted felon and on felony parole out of Michigan for unarmed robbery and home invasion – 2nd degree.

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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A vigilant police officer stopped an intoxicated driver that was travelling the wrong direction on an Interstate off-ramp. Around 11:05 p.m. on May 16, 2015, a Mt. Juliet police officer noticed a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix turn off of Providence Way onto the Interstate 40 East 226-C exit ramp, going the wrong way. The officer was able to quickly stop the Pontiac prior to entering the Interstate.

After stopping the Pontiac, the officer made contact with the driver, Robert Benter, 59, of Hermitage. The officer believed Benter was possibly driving under the influence, so field sobriety testing was conducted.

Benter was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Driving Under the Influence – 2^nd Offense. He was also issued a citation for travelling the wrong direction on a one-way street and for open container. A 40 ounce open beer bottle was located in a cooler in the front passenger seat area of Benter’s car. Benter is set to appear in court on August 8, 2015.

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