knoxville news
knoxville news knoxville daily sun lifestyle business knoxville sports travel knoxville classifieds knoxville jobs knoxville legal notices knoxville yellow pages smoky mountains contact facebook twitter linkedin rss entertainment knoxville advertising
 

Newport couple arrested for trying to burn down their own restaurant

gary ridens arrest; newport tn
Gary Ridens; image by TBI
geraldine ridens arrest newport tn
Geraldine Ridens; image by TBI

COCKE COUNTY – A joint investigation has led to the indictment of a Newport couple on attempted arson charges.

In January 2017, at the request of 4th District Attorney General James Dunn, TBI Special Agents joined Tennessee Fire Investigative Services, the Newport Police Department, and the Newport Fire Department in investigating an attempted arson that occurred at Brandywine Creek Restaurant located along West Highway 25/70 in Newport. During the course of the investigation, authorities determined that Gary Ridens (DOB 03/08/57) and Geraldine Ridens (DOB 11/19/56), the owners of the restaurant, were the individuals responsible for attempting to start the fire.


This week, the Cocke County Grand Jury returned indictments charging both Gary and Geraldine Ridens with one count of Attempted Arson and one count of Reckless Endangerment. On October 17, both were arrested and booked into the Cocke County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Published October 18, 2019








knoxville daily sun Knoxville Daily Sun
2019 Image Builders
User Agreement | Privacy Policy