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Joshua Williams
(Contributed / Johnson City Press)

Missing safe found before robbery reported

By John Thompson
Elizabethton Bureau Chief
jthompson@johnsoncitypress.com

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HAMPTON — It is not often that suspects in a burglary are arrested before the burglary is discovered, but that is what happened following a routine traffic stop early Monday after an officer found a safe in the back seat of a car he stopped.

Lt. Thomas Smith of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department said he was parked at the Roadrunner in Hampton about 4:30 a.m. when he saw a Ford Contour run the stop sign at the intersection of U.S. Highway 321 and U.S. Highway 19E. After seeing the car turn right and head south on U.S. 19E, Smith made a traffic stop.

After identifying the driver as Joshua Lee Williams, 28, 1299 Gap Creek Road, Elizabethton, Smith said he determined Williams was driving on a suspended license and had no proof of insurance. A passenger in the car, Heather Beth Broyles Williams, 27, was found to be wanted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.

Smith said Mr. Williams appeared to be extremely nervous. When he approached the car, Smith said he noticed there was a safe in the rear seat. When asked about the safe, the couple said Mrs. Williams owned a business and they had received a phone call that someone had broken into it. They went to check on it and found the front door open. Smith said the couple had not called 911 and did not ask him to report the burglary.

Later that morning Ken Talbert told Sgt. Brian Durham that burglars had struck his business at 228 First Ave. He said employee Jesse Willis arrived at work to find the glass on the front door broken. Upon entering the business, he found the safe containing $400 to $500 was missing. He also found missing a gold log book, an earring and necklace set valued at $150, three silver coins valued at $20 each, five Fossil watches valued at $150 each, two silver rings, four bracelet valued at $300 each, a gold testing set valued at $50 and other jewelry.

Smith said the descriptions matched items found in the car he had stopped. He said further investigation revealed Mrs. Williams was an employee of Talbert’s business.

Durham questioned Mr. Williams about the burglary. Durham said Williams admitted he and his wife went to the business that morning and used a key to get in. He said he and his wife took the safe and the other jewelry and he intentionally broke the window on the front door.

Mr. Williams was charged with burglary; theft over $1,000; vandalism; a second offense of driving on a suspended license; running a stop sign; no proof of insurance; filing a false report and a second offense of violation of probation.

He appeared in Sessions Court on Tuesday. Judge John Walton found him in contempt and sentenced him to serve 10 days in jail on failure to pay costs on a previous order of protection. A public defender was appointed for Williams and he was ordered to answer the remaining charges on Nov. 30.

Mrs. Williams is being held by Washington County authorities.