Man Arrested Outside Holiday Inn

A man was arrested outside the Holiday Inn on Cosby Hwy Friday night. Police were called about an intoxicated man pacing in front of the hotel and swearing. Officer Lindsay Laughter stated the man appeared to be paranoid and stated the “people from Knoxville were out to get him”. The man was 53 year old Charles Simpkins who admitted to drinking alcohol and using cocaine. Simpkins was not wearing shoes, he told Laughter that he ran from the Hampton Inn because he was scared. A Smith & Wesson .380 handgun was found on Simpkins. He was taken into custody and charged with public intoxication and being in possession of a firearm while under the influence. The story does not end there…on Saturday afternoon, the Hampton Inn called police because a cleaning lady had found other weapons in the room Simpkins was in. Police located a gym bag that contained two loaded assault rifles. A drug pipe was also found in the room.