MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — An eastern Tennessee man apparently was looking for love in all the wrong places.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a Tellico Plains man went to a cemetery expecting to meet a date. Instead, a man shot at him at least seven times and set his car on fire, the Advocate and Democrat of Madisonville reported.
Keith Brandon McJunkin, 39, of Tellico Plains, was arrested Nov. 18 and charged with theft of property under $1,000, arson, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and driving on a revoked license, according to Monroe County online booking records.
According to Monroe County Deputy Jason Johnson, the victim said he went to Dehart Cemetery, also known as Holly Springs Baptist Church, to meet a woman for a date at around 8:30 p.m., the Advocate and Democrat reported.
While the victim waited in his 2000 Ford Expedition, McJunkin allegedly came out of the woods near the cemetery and walked toward the vehicle. The victim said McJunkin leveled what appeared to be a .22-caliber rifle and fired three shots at the driver’s side window, the newspaper reported.
The victim said that as he drove away, McJunkin allegedly fired four more shots at the rear of the vehicle. The victim then jumped out of the car and ran into the woods, the Advocate and Democrat reported.
He later asked his sister to return to the cemetery to get the vehicle, but she said the vehicle was on fire, the sheriff’s office said.
The woman managed to put the blaze out and drove the vehicle home. The victim said a 14-inch subwoofer and a stereo amplifier were missing from the Expedition, along with a cellphone and a pouch containing $30 in coins.
Deputies arrested McJunkin the next day, the Advocate and Democrat reported.