RUSSELL COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — Law enforcement in Russell County, Virginia, has had an active week, with multiple arrests for a range of alleged criminal activities taking place.
In a separate event, an attempted murder suspect from Kingsport, Tennessee, was tracked down and captured by deputies in the Lebanon area on Thursday. This successful apprehension was part of a broader effort by the Russell County Sheriff’s Office to address ongoing investigations.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Isaiah Joseph Campbell, had reportedly been involved in a heated argument with a family member. According to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office reports, this altercation escalated when Campbell fired a gun into a vehicle, posing a significant threat to someone standing behind it. Following his arrest, Campbell was transported to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail located in Abingdon.
On Wednesday, the county’s officers dealt with three distinct incidents that resulted in the arrest of four individuals. Each incident highlights the challenges authorities face in maintaining safety and order in the community.
Deputies responded to a report of a male “brandishing a firearm at vehicles” in the Carterton Area of the county. “Due to prompt information from the community to our dispatchers and swift relay of information to our deputies, the male suspect was apprehended without incident,” a release from the sheriff’s office states. He was identified by the sheriff’s office as Robert Lewis Grizzle, 56, of Southwest Virginia.
Also on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said it worked with the Lebanon Police Department in an attempt to stop a vehicle whose driver “appeared to be under the influence.” The sheriff’s office said the driver reportedly refused to stop, and a short pursuit followed. The department said the driver allegedly attempted to strike officers with his vehicle during the chase. Police said they stopped the vehicle and took the male driver into custody. He was identified as Earnest Homer Seanz, 51, of New Mexico.
In the Swords Creek area on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office was assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with apprehending a wanted individual, when a man and woman allegedly barricaded themselves inside a home and “issued threats to responding officers,” a release states. The department said the standoff was brief and both suspects were taken into custody without incident. The sheriff’s office said it was unable to identify the pair, as the ATF was the primary agency on the arrest, which involved federal charges.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said it was alerted to a break-in at a home, which resulted in firearms and other property being stolen. The department said a vehicle description matching the suspects’ was located in the Poor Farm area of the county afterwards. When deputies tried taking two suspects into custody, the vehicle’s passenger reportedly fled. Both the driver and the passenger were arrested, and the stolen property was recovered, police said.