On Friday Feb. 6, a Cookeville man who had been released from jail earlier in the day decided to have a drink and take a nap in a bathroom in Jere Whitson Building.
Around 4 p.m. Tech police arrived at Jere Whitson after receiving a complaint from English instructor Nicholas Ryan. Ryan told police that when he entered the bathroom, he could smell a strong odor of alcohol and hear snores coming from the handicap stall.
When Lt. Thompson and Officer Nichols attempted to enter the stall, the door was locked. Nichols said he climbed up and peered into the stall and saw a white male sitting on the toilet, passed out. He also saw a can of beer next to the man. Using his baton to hit the latch, Nichols was able to gain access to the stall. Once inside, they attempted to wake the man by shouting at him. When that failed, Nichols shook the man’s shoulder to bring him into consciousness.
Police identified the man as 47-year-old Terry James Hare. Hare had a previous criminal trespass notice forbidding him from being on University property. As Nichols searched Hare, he became violent and started calling the officer obscene names, according to the police report. At one point, Hare told Nichols he was going to “whip” him.
When Hare was arrested, he had a pearl handled knife, a six-pack of Steele Reserve beer and a duffle bag with a modem, two cable boxes, a phone and an assortment of cables. Hare claimed the items belonged to him. Police ran the serial numbers on the items and found, at the time of arrest, none of the items had been reported stolen. They also contacted Charter Communications to see if they could find out to whom the items belonged.
Hare was transferred to the Putnam Country Sheriff’s Office jail and will be charged with criminal trespassing, public intoxication and resisting arrest.
