Month: September 2026

By Holly Lehren

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    CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — A Clarksville police officer has been fired following an internal investigation into a K-9 use-of-force incident earlier this summer.

The investigation followed the June 29 arrest of 34-year-old Darius Chappell outside a Dutch Bros. store on Fort Campbell Boulevard. Chappell died several days later while in custody at the Montgomery County Jail.

The Clarksville Police Department said Officer Deering was no longer employed by the department as of Sept. 1 after CPD completed its internal investigation and disciplinary process.

Video of Chappell’s arrest circulated widely on social media and showed several officers trying to take him into custody. A police K-9 was deployed and appeared to bite Chappell while officers held him on the ground. About a minute later, an officer pulled the dog away.

After the incident, CPD said the officer involved had been placed on administrative leave while the department conducted its internal investigation.

Chappell was found unresponsive in his jail cell during a routine security check around 3 a.m. July 3. He was taken to Vanderbilt of Clarksville, where he was pronounced dead.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating Chappell’s death. His cause of death has not been released.

CPD said the internal investigation and resulting personnel actions were handled in accordance with departmental policy, city code and personnel procedures.

Because the TBI investigation remains ongoing, the department said it will not release additional information at this time.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Eric Pointer

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — A troubled teen will soon face charges after stealing a fire truck from a Nashville Fire Station Thursday night.

It happened at Nashville Fire Station 35 on Hobson Pike.

The 14-year-old showed up to the station, told firefighters he was going to kill himself, and then set off the fire alarm.

Then he took off in a stolen brush truck.

As he drove off, he hit an MNPD patrol car that was responding to the scene.

He led officers on a chase along Murfreesboro Pike.

Police used multiple spike strips to stop the truck on Murfreesboro Pike near the Una Antioch Pike intersection after it lost a tire and hit two other vehicles.

Police also said during the chase a scooter rider was able to jump off before the truck hit their scooter.

A total of 3 adults were taken to the hospital with minor injuries they got during the crashes.

The 14-year-old was taken into custody, and police took him to the hospital to get checked out.

Police say charges are forthcoming.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Chris Davis

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    CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — What started as one man’s personal collection of classic cars and motorcycles is about to become Clarksville’s newest tourist attraction.

Clarksville Throttle, a museum, dealership and antique store located in an old industrial building in Clarksville, is scheduled to officially open Oct. 3.

Inside, visitors will find hundreds of vehicles, ranging from classic cars to rare motorcycles. “We’re somewhere between 300-400 vehicles, between cars and motorcycles,” General Manager David Gordon said while showing off the collection.

Among the displays are a 1969 Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup, a 1963 Chevrolet Nova II and a variety of motorcycles, including a California Boss Hoss known for its massive V8 engine. “It has a V8 engine bigger than the Ford truck out there,” Gordon said.

Part of the collection originated with owner Billy Rae, a Clarksville native whose love of cars inspired the project. He and his team have driven all over the country to complete the rest of their collection. “He grew up down on Riverside with the car cruising, and he just wanted to bring back that car scene back to Clarksville that it doesn’t have anymore,” Gordon said.

Many of the vehicles were once scattered across several garages before Rae decided to open them up for the public to enjoy. “He had several garages, everything was crammed in. Getting dusty, getting dirty,” Gordon said. “He said, ‘What’s the sense in having all of this if I can’t share it with the community?'”

While the museum is expected to be a major draw, Clarksville Throttle is also a dealership. “Everything’s for sale for the right price,” Gordon said.

The facility also includes an antique store stocked with collectibles ranging from vintage oil cans and neon signs to knives, belt buckles and toy cars.

Gordon said the shop allows visitors to start collections of their own while helping offset some of the costs of maintaining the massive inventory.

The attraction is designed to appeal to more than just car enthusiasts.

The museum will feature a children’s area, including an authentic early-1900s paddy wagon and a replication of a 1950s-1960s general store. There’s also cultural memorabilia on display, from floor to ceiling inside the museum.

Gordon said many of the vehicles are still operational, and some will allow children to climb inside and interact with them. “I’m ready to get those doors open. Get the public in here,” Gordon said.

For Rae, the project is about more than preserving vehicles. Gordon said the collection reflects a desire to preserve a piece of Americana that he remembers from his childhood. “The Americana that I remember from my childhood that was fading out in the ’80s that they don’t have anymore,” Gordon said.

Clarksville Throttle officially opens Oct. 3. The team is still finalizing operating hours and museum admission prices.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By John Lauritsen

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — For nearly a half century, the Haunted Mansion at the Minnesota State Fair has been scaring people silly.

In this week’s Finding Minnesota, John Lauritsen got a sneak peek into how dozens of monsters bring fright to the fair.

For 42 years, Johnny Burns has been giving people jump scares inside the Haunted Mansion.

At this point he could open his own scare school. But when he’s not in costume, he’s making sure the mansion looks monstrous.

“We’ve been working on this for the last couple years,” said Burns while showing off the the laboratory room.

Burns is a manager and one of about 100 monsters who play a role in this scream factory. The mansion opened in 1977 and Debbie Kohnen’s dad bought the building in 1984.

“When he approached me and said, ‘what do you think Debbie?’ I said, ‘You know nothing about a haunted house,'” said Kohnen, who now owns the mansion with her sister.

They built a family business through fright.

“I enjoy the people who work for us. And the kids, the monsters too. I enjoy people’s reactions,” said Kohnen.

Molly Mlynarczyk began working here when she was 15-years-old. Her job is to hire this year’s Freddy Kruegers and Michael Myers and get them into costume. It’s a process that begins in May. There’s a two-hour orientation and plenty of rules to learn before the new spooks are set free.

“We have lots of varieties of different rooms. Two stories, 16 rooms. Lots of different themes and they just get you from every angle,” said Mlynarczyk. “Even grown adults will drop to their knees. They can’t move and they’re petrified.”

Burns is to blame for much of terror. He helps carve out hiding spots for monsters.

The mansion buys many of their props and mannequin zombies at Halloween stores, or they order them online.

Throughout the entire fair, security cameras monitor what’s happening inside and out for safety reasons.

“Sometimes kids get scared, they get stuck in the corner. We have to go find them and bring them out to their parents,” said Burns.

But the ones who do make it to the end often want to go through again. And that’s just fine with the ghosts and goblins because they’re always ready and waiting.

“We’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been a ride. And we’ll continue on,” said Kohnen.

The Haunted Mansion opens at 9 a.m. every morning at the state fair and runs all day.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Abby Dodge

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    PEMBROKE Pines, Florida (WFOR) — The Pembroke Pines Police Department asked for the public’s help identifying a man accused of killing a mother duck and several ducklings in what investigators describe as a disturbing act of animal cruelty.

According to police, the incident happened Aug. 30 near University Drive and Northwest 13th Street.

Surveillance video appears to show a man stalking a duck, trying to sneak through a fence before catching the bird and stomping on it. The man then stood on the duck until it died.

“This is a heinous crime. Our department takes it very seriously. It is animal cruelty,” Capt. Christopher Rogers of the Pembroke Pines Police Department said.

Additional video from a nearby business shows the same man chasing ducklings, which police say were later found dead.

The person who posted the video to a neighborhood app said he wanted the community to be aware of the incident.

Police said officers have been canvassing the area to identify and locate the man seen in the videos.

“These crimes are troubling because they could lead to other crimes,” Rogers said. “We don’t know if this is the first time he has done this, or if he is victimizing other animals or other people. We want to catch this individual, and if he needs psychiatric help, we can help him that way. If he is just committing crimes for the sake of committing crimes, we want to make sure he is prosecuted.”

Anyone who recognizes the man or has additional video from the area on Aug. 30 is urged to contact the Pembroke Pines Police Department.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Kelly Doty

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    FLORENCE, South Carolina (WLOS) — A father and son pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the theft of 152 firearms from Palmetto State Armory.

Benjamin Lee Mercer Sr., 54, and his son, Benjamin Lee Mercer Jr., 31, both of Florence, face federal prison time for the May 12, 2024, theft and subsequent encounters with law enforcement, according to a Sept. 3, 2026, news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.

Prosecutors say the father and son broke into the armory just before 3 a.m. and stole 152 guns. Ten days later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a Darlington trailer associated with Mercer Sr. and Mercer Jr. and found 15 firearms that had been stolen from the armory. Prosecutors said Mercer Sr. was also caught on camera discarding another stolen firearm from the window of a truck while evading authorities.

On June 17, 2024, prosecutors said law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange the purchase of 21 guns from Mercer Jr. at the same trailer. During the purchase, authorities said Mercer Jr. pistol-whipped and threatened to kill the informant. Prosecutors say the informant threw their car keys and the buy money on the ground, which Mercer Jr. took before leaving in the informant’s car.

Mercer Jr. then led authorities on a high-speed chase through Darlington and Florence counties and fired at law enforcement through the driver’s side window. He eventually surrendered after barricading himself in an apartment, prosecutors say.

Mercer Sr. pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a dealer and illegally possessing firearms. His son, Mercer Jr., had previously pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a dealer and brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, the news release said.

Mercer Jr. faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervision after his prison term. Mercer Sr. faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervision after his prison term.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said both men will be sentenced after the U.S. Probation Office prepares and reviews sentencing reports.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.