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Three men accused of stealing explosives and setting fire to a utility trailer Nov. 9 at an ALCOA Inc. renovation site appeared Thursday in Blount County General Sessions Court to address their charges.

Thomas Houston Presley, 29, Wright Road, Alcoa; Jason Allen Tatum, 19, Wright Road, Alcoa; and Andrew Douglas Lowe, 27, Wonderland Drive, Louisville, were all charged with criminal trespass, vandalism and theft of property of more than $10,000, following the incident. Presley and Tatum were also charged with burglary and setting fire to personal property.

Tatum appeared with his attorney, Robert Huddleston, before Judge William R. Brewer where they asked for a reduction in his bonds. Blount County Assistant District Attorney General Tammy Harrington pointed out Tatum's criminal history in juvenile and adult criminal courts.

Tatum said he had been on probation in Blount County Juvenile Court, and Harrington said he had violated that probation more than once. Tatum said he also had an illegal weapon possession charge earlier this year, but said he has not been in trouble since then.

"Now I made this decision and now I got in trouble this time," Tatum told the judge.

Tatum said that he had not had any illegal weapons since that charge. Harrington asked him if he thought explosives were weapons and he agreed that they are.

Harrington said that the defendant had applied for a diversion with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), but said the state would not consider that option. She asked Brewer to deny the bond reduction due to his past criminal history and the seriousness of the offenses.

"I'm going to deny the motion for a bond reduction," Brewer said. "The bond looks like it's appropriate for the charges."

Tatum then signed court documents to waive his right to a preliminary hearing. Brewer said the hearing was waived and the cases would be heard next by a Blount County grand jury.

Lowe's attorney, Troy L. Bowlin II, was in another court and was unable to attend the hearing. Lowe's hearing was subsequently reset for 9 a.m. Jan. 15. Presley, represented by the Blount County Public Defender's Office, will appear for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in Brewer's courtroom.

Trailer in flames

According to earlier information from Alcoa Police Detective Kris Sanders, a utility trailer was discovered in flames on Nov. 9 at a five-acre site being made into a functional wetland by ALCOA Inc. off North Wright Road. Alcoa officers and firefighters discovered the site had been vandalized and several explosives and hundreds of RocKracker propellants had been stolen from the trailer.

A Blount County Sheriff's K-9 initiated a track at the site, which led them to Presley's backyard and into the woods. The RocKrackers were later recovered in the woods by detectives, firefighters, agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive Bureau (ATF) and ALCOA employees.

After bringing Presley, Tatum and Lowe into custody for investigation, Sanders said detectives located about 30 blasting caps at a residence belonging to a relative of Tatum.

Christy Newman, community relations manager for ALCOA Tennessee Operations, said the propellants were being kept on the property for excavating. They were using the propellants to crush rocks. None of the stolen or vandalized items were owned by ALCOA. The equipment is owned by Shamrock Environmental, Brown Summit, N.C., and the trailer and propellants are owned by National Drilling and Blasting, Winston-Salem, N.C.