CANNON COUNTY, TN - Cannon County residents opened their homes and provided water for teams of Rutherford County Sheriff’s deputies and their K9 partners that were searching for two escapees Friday from the Cannon County Jail. Deputies and K9s were looking for inmates Corey Foster and Justin Michael Anderson, who escaped. Foster was apprehended but Anderson still remains at-large.
K9 Sgt. Lee Young said the deputies and K9s appreciate the hospitality and care. “Everybody in Cannon County was very accommodating for us,” Young said. K9 Deputy Richard Tidwell and bloodhound, Fred, were searching in sweltering heat along Roach Hollow Road. “It was hot,” Tidwell said. “I was sweating. Fred was sweating. He started huffing and puffing. He was showing heat exhaustion.”
The K9 team stopped at resident Andy Bryson’s home on Roach Hollow Road where Tidwell asked if he could borrow the water house. “I cranked up the water hose and gave him a bath,” Tidwell said. Bryson took the K9 partners to his shaded back porch where they cooled off. Bryson provided ice water. Bryson offered to help in any way.
Like Tidwell, Deputy Sarah Blair and K9 partner Appie became heated while searching a heavily wooded area off Roach Hollow Road. She drank all her water. Blair stopped at a house, drank water from a water hose and sprayed water on Appie to cool him down. “It was harsh conditions,” Blair said. The resident came up later and offered use of her restroom and Blair refilled her water.
Lt. Will Holton said County Clerk Lana Jones allowed the deputies to use her TV to hook up the drones for overhead searches. “We literally turned their back porch into a command post,” Holton said. K9 Deputy Caleb Reynolds said Jones provided food and drinks to the deputies. “They really took care of us,” Reynolds said. “They make sure we were cool and hydrated.”
Scroll down to see a photo of the one suspect who remains at large. His name is Justin Michael Anderson.
