By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com
Never underestimate the power of a dog.
A heavily-armed alleged sex offender wanted on multiple charges backed down Wednesday morning when confronted by Shelbyville Police Department’s K-9 Trigger.
Cody Daniel Morrow, 31, of Benton, Tennessee was being sought for allegedly pistol-whipping another man Tuesday in addition to the sexually-related charge in Benton County.
Shelbyville authorities were notified by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office that Morrow’s cellphone was pinging near the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration grounds.
Police checked the pings and found Morrow hiding in a wooded area off Madison Street behind Badcock Furniture and McDonald’s around 11:15 a.m.
“He has made threats against law enforcement in the past and was believed to be armed and dangerous,” Officer Brock Horner, Trigger’s handler, said.
Horner, Trigger and Lt. James Wilkerson approached a blue tarp near a fence line and Trigger took particular notice.
“Trigger’s behavior began to change and he got locked in on the tarp and his ears pointed straight up,” Horner said. “At this point I knew someone was under the tarp. As we got closer I began giving commands to see his hands.”
Morrow showed his hands but refused to walk toward the dog, Horner said. He surrendered when Horner threatened to release Trigger.
“Lt. Wilkerson was able to get through the brush and go hands on cuffing him without incident,” Horner said.
Morrow appeared to be ready for a challenge, wearing body armor under his sweatshirt, according to police.
“He had a loaded Taurus 9mm stuck in the small of his lower back, three 12-round magazines full of ammunition along with another 108 rounds in his backpack and a fixed blade knife out of its sheath under his waist,” Horner said.
Morrow was being sought specifically on an aggravated assault charge in Franklin County. He was also wanted on a sex offense in Benton County and is being charged locally for unlawful possession of a firearm due to prior criminal history.
Police did not determine Morrow’s actual name until questioning by Det. Lt. Charles Merlo and Deputy Chief Brian Crews. Franklin County authorities identified him as “Daniel Smith” but said they’d been given several aliases and were uncertain of his actual identity.
The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office was also involved in the arrest. BCSO detectives walked through McDonald’s looking for Morrow while city officers searched outside.
