Thomas Ken Owens
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, along with the Johnson City Police Department and Carter County Sheriff’s Office, arrested a Washington County man overnight "foiling his plan to have a family member killed."
Thomas Ken Owens, 38, of Leach Drive in Jonesborough, was arrested and charged with solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Owens was arrested after he met with an individual and paid him $500 as a down payment to kill a relative, the TBI said.
The agency said Owens brought a picture of the intended victim of the murder plot as well as his home address to a meeting with the hired hit man at Bailey’s Sports Bar in Johnson City. That is where law enforcement arrested Owens after the payment was made.
Owens was booked into the Washington County Jail on $100,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court this morning.