An Anderson County man is facing 24 charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly showed a gun, threatened several people, refused to let two of them call for help, and pointed the weapon at responding deputies and pulled the trigger twice, officers said.
The gun did not fire after Charles Edward Mason, 51, pointed it at a deputy because Mason’s T-shirt got caught in the gun, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jake Stone.
The charges filed against Mason include:
- two counts of attempted first-degree murder,
- eight counts of aggravated assault,
- three counts of aggravated kidnapping,
- three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony,
- three counts of drug violations,
- two counts of interfering with a 911 call,
- one count of resisting arrest,
- one count of simple possession, and
- one count of the attempted manufacturing, delivering, selling, or possessing for manufacturing, delivering, selling, or possessing methamphetamine.
The alleged crime occurred when the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report on April 24 of a man chasing a woman with a gun on Black Oak Road in Anderson County, northeast of Oak Ridge and west of Clinton.
When Stone arrived, Mason’s former fiancée said Mason had shown her a black and brown gun and told her she would not leave alive, according to the warrants.
Stone was able to contact Mason and three other people—two men and a women—at a neighboring home. Stone said he retrieved a loaded firearm from Mason that matched the description given by the former fiancée.
Stone found another loaded firearm inside an ammunition case within arm’s reach of Mason, the warrants said.
The two men at that neighboring home said Mason had taken their cell phones and refused to let them leave or call for help, according to the warrants. Both men said Mason was threatening them, and they feared for their lives, the warrants said.
“When Deputy McGhee attempted to get Charles (Mason) off the ground, he presented a firearm, pointing it at Deputy Collins,” the warrants said. “Charles spun toward Deputy McGhee. At this time, Charles pulled the trigger twice, but the gun failed to fire due to his T-shirt being caught between the hammer and transfer bar.”
During a search of Mason, Stone said he found gabapentin and Xanax in Mason’s left front pants pocket. A search of the area where Mason had been sitting found an open black box lunch box later identified as Mason’s, Stone said in the warrants. Inside were four bags of a white crystal-like substance and one bag of a green leafy substance, Stone said.
“Charles is a convicted felon,” Stone said. “I seized three firearms, 75 rounds of ammunition, and an unknown weight of narcotics from his possession.”
Mason has remained incarcerated in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton since he was arrested and booked into the jail early April 25. His bond has been set at $500,000, and an electronic monitor has been ordered for him.
Mason has a court date scheduled for Wednesday morning, May 22, in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton. He is represented by a public defender, according to court records.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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