La Follette man said to be intoxicated while shoplifting

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- A theft and vandalism call from Walmart to Jacksboro Police promptly concluded with an arrest on Wednesday evening.

Walmart’s Loss Prevention agent, Jamie Chapman, was witnessing the incident as she was talking with Assistant JPD Chief Joe Hopson on the telephone. Chapman gave Hopson the suspect’s description, and upon arrival, Hopson began searching for the man.

The officer discovered the suspect was out of the store and in the parking lot, without paying for several items and damaging more, based on the police report.

Hopson came across the suspect in the Walmart parking lot and ordered him to stop. The suspect refused, kept walking and was again ordered to stop. This time, the man turned and asked Hopson why as he began jogging away from Hopson. That’s when Hopson noticed that the suspect was armed with a knife.

The suspect didn’t jog for long before being apprehended by the assistant chief. Once the suspect was secured, Hopson searched the man and found four knives on him.

The suspect, identified as Thomas A. Brandenburg, appeared to be intoxicated according to Hopson’s report. The officer described Brandenburg as being unsteady on his feet, slurring his speech with watery eyes and pinpoint pupils in the light.

Hopson saw Brandenburg drop an HDMI cable that had allegedly been stolen from inside the store. Along with knives found during the pat down was a soldering iron which was also reported stolen from the store. That’s when Hopson placed Brandenburg under arrest, and JPD Patrolman Tyler Pearson transported him to the county jail.

The investigation continued as Hopson also found a wireless wall outlet in a package that was damaged. Inside Brandenburg’s wallet, another knife was found along with a set of lock picks, commonly used to commit a burglary, inside a box that looked like a credit card.

Agent Chapman described a blue knife Brandenburg had been using to open the packaging. Hopson located a blue-handled Kobalt knife that appeared to have packaging material still stuck to the blade.

Thomas A. Brandenburg, 36, of Springfield Drive, La Follette was charged with public intoxication, theft of property under $1,000, vandalism, possession of burglary tools and resist-stop-frisk-half-arrest-search. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-06/26/2026-6AM)