The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday arrested a Meigs County Sheriff’s deputy after he was indicted by the Rhea County grand jury earlier this week on charges stemming from a shooting incident in Rhea County last year.
Bradley Collins, 35, of Spring City, was indicted on one count of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. On Sept. 23, 2012, while off duty, Collins responded to his sister’s residence on Old Stage Road in Spring City after being informed that she was assaulted by her father, 46-year-old Randall Lee Copeland. When Collins arrived at the residence, he discovered that his sister as safe and Copeland had returned to his residence next door. Knowing that Rhea County Sheriff’s Department was responding, Collins walked to Copeland’s residence with his duty pistol. Collins alleges that Copeland had a rifle in his hands, refused to put it down, and Collins fired twice at him. Copeland was not shot. Owners of a nearby home were outside working on a vehicle when Collins fired the weapon.
The 12th Judicial District Attorney General requested TBI to investigate the shooting incident.
Collins was booked into the Rhea County Jail Wednesday morning on a $10,000 bond.