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Article published Apr 3, 2008 Bear-ly loving it: Bear takes officers on two-city chase
By Mark Boxley of The Daily Times Staff
A wayward bear took officers and deputies on a two-city chase Wednesday through heavily populated areas of Alcoa and Maryville.
The bear was first seen near a McDonald's in Alcoa. Millions of Americans enjoy McDonald's every day and apparently the adult black bear was trying to join in on the fast-food fun.
Authorities say the bear was pretty hefty, too, so maybe french fries and Big Macs were already a regular part of its diet.
The bear's presence at McDonald's, 211 Midland Shopping Center, was reported to police at about 7:50 p.m., when it was seen in a field behind the restaurant. Paw and claw prints were later found on one of the restaurant's trash containers.
Officers responded and followed the bear as it walked along the greenway behind New Midland Plaza. Alcoa Police Officer Dek Melton said he lost sight of the bear as it moved into thicker brush along the trail. The bear was apparently never on the trail, but was within 20 feet of it, Melton said. It wasn't moving with any real urgency, either, he said, it was "just cruising along."
Officers with the Alcoa Police Department and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency scoured the area looking for the bear -- all the while, pedestrians and bicyclists unaware of the bear's presence, could be seen moving along the trail.
TWRA Wildlife Officer Joe Everett said it is not unusual to have bear sightings this time of year, as the bears are coming out of hibernation about now. And it is not unusual to see bears in Alcoa, he said. What is unusual about Wednesday's events, he said, is how early in the season it is for a bear to be in the city.
"It is unusual to have a bear sighting in Alcoa this early in the year," he said. "It makes you wonder where the bear spent the winter."
Melton estimated the bear's weight at about 300 pounds, and Everett, who also got a good look at it, said the bear appeared to be an adult.
"It looks like it's a pretty good-sized bear," he said.
The bear wasn't seen again until it showed up at the McDonald's for a second time, this time grazing in the grass a few dozen feet from customers and the front door of the restaurant. Almost as quickly as it was sighted by a news reporter the bear trudged back into the brush.
Everett set up a trap for the bear next to a trash container at McDonald's, and officers continued to track reports of the bear as it traveled through the area.
It was later reported to have been sighted on West Lincoln Avenue and still later in Maryville near the Waterfront Grill shortly before 10 p.m.
It reportedly crossed the waters of Pistol Creek at Greenbelt Park near the parking garage on Harper Avenue across from the Ruby Tuesday offices. By then Maryville Police Department officers and Blount County Sheriff's Officers had joined the hunt -- patrolling the streets in downtown Maryville in cars and on foot, trying to track down the bear.
After being shot with several tranquilizer darts, the bear was finally captured at about 11 p.m. in Greenbelt Park behind CBBC Bank.