Roane property assessor candidate withdraws from race

Cheryl Laxton, a candidate for Roane County property assessor, has announced she is ending her campaign. Her primary reason, according to a press release last week, was the health concerns of her mother.

“Everyone knows that I come from a very close and tight-knit family,” Laxton said. “My mother now has a serious illness which will require constant and continuous care and supervision. My mother is the most important thing in the world to me, and I look forward to being able to take care of her.”

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Police: Roane candidate dies after shooting self at incumbent’s home

A candidate for Roane County property assessor died today after shooting himself in the head, authorities said.

James Thomas Woods Jr., 56, was a former employee of the Roane County Property Assessor’s Office, and he reportedly shot himself at the home of the incumbent assessor, Teresa Kirkham, on Brentwood Way in Kingston.

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