By Michael R. Moser
Editor
—
A Crossville man has been arrested by Georgia authorities after being accused of violently snatching his children and fleeing the area. The mother of the suspect told local authorities that she feared for the safety of the children.
Richard Shuey Jr., 36, 636 Taylor Hollow Rd., is charged with robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping and reckless endangerment with the incident that took place Aug. 10.
Shuey was taken into custody by deputies with the Catoosa County Sheriff's Department near Fort Oglethorpe, GA, the same day.
Last Monday around 1 a.m. police were dispatched to a Windermere Dr. residence in Camelot subdivision off 10th St. after a woman reported her son had assaulted her, according to Ptl. J.F. White's report.
Earlier Shuey reportedly was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife, which resulted in him taking his children to his mother's house.
Janice Shuey told police that an argument developed between herself and her son and escalated when the son allegedly started striking his mother in the face repeatedly.
"Mrs. Shuey stated that Richard hit her so many times that she fell to the ground," White wrote in his report. "Once she hit the ground, Richard jumped on her and began hitting her in the face and slamming her head against the floor."
The victim added that her mouth was covered during the assault so she could not cry out for help. She then quoted her son as threatening to tie her up and kill her. The son left and returned shortly with an electrical cord and knife, which police found on a tray inside the residence.
She also stated that her son threatened to not only kill her, but to kill himself. He then demanded money and left with between $80 and $90 in cash, taking his two young children with him.
Mrs. Shuey was taken by a daughter to Cumberland Medical Center where she was treated for her injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening.
Shuey left the residence around 5:30 a.m. and ended up near Fort Oglethorpe where he called his wife, asking her to join him. According to Det. Bill Padgett, Shuey did not threaten the children but did tell his wife she might not see them again.
Shuey's Cadillac was spotted on Cloud Springs Rd. with the hood up by a sheriff's deputy who took the suspect into custody without incident around 11 a.m.
The Department of Children's Services was notified about the incident and Crossville Police obtained warrants for Richard Shuey's arrest.
Records show that Shuey has been arrested on 33 charges since 1996, including six aggravated assaults, five domestic assaults, failure to appear in court, probation violations and one aggravated kidnapping, Gary Howard of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department told a Chattanooga newspaper.
Shuey is to answer the latest charges in General Sessions Court on Aug. 23.
