Kodak Man Charged with Reckless Endangerment for Firing Shots in Air

A local man has been charged with reckless endangerment in connection with reports of gunfire in a Sevierville neighborhood earlier this week.

The Sevierville Police Department says it received several calls from residents in the area of Turtle Dove Trail in the Mountain Meadows subdivision reporting what sounded like multiple gunshots coming from a red vehicle on the evening of Monday, March 19, 2018. One witness described the vehicle as a red Pontiac Vibe. Officers responded but were unable to locate the vehicle.

The next morning on his way to work, SPD Officer Justin Armstrong saw a red Pontiac Vibe fitting the description of the report traveling east on Boyds Creek Highway and followed as it pulled into a gas station on Winfield Dunn Parkway. Officer Armstrong and Officer McNabney questioned the driver of the car, 27-year-old Scott Ryan Rodriguez of Kodak, and found drug paraphernalia in his possession. Officers searched Rodriguez’s vehicle and found seventeen 9mm shell casings. Rodriguez admitted he had fired a 9mm pistol into the air through the vehicle’s sunroof.

Officers and detectives executed a search warrant of Rodriguez’s residence later that day, where they found a 9mm Beretta pistol and ammunition. They also found about 171 grams of a crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine during a field test, which was sent to the TBI lab for analysis.

Rodriguez has been charged with reckless endangerment with a firearm, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges are pending. He was released on bond.

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.