TBI: Men held Amber Alert subject at gunpoint until officers arrived

HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say the 57-year-old man accused of abducting his niece from school more than a week ago was captured by two men who held him at gunpoint until law enforcement could arrive.

Gary Simpson

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn told a news conference that Donnie Lawson and Stewart Franklin found Gary Simpson and Carlie Marie Trent on Thursday in a remote wooded area only accessible by all-terrain vehicles.

Gwyn said they found them in Hawkins County, the same rural part of East Tennessee where Carlie disappeared. He said one of the men held Simpson at gunpoint while the other called the police.

Web Exclusive: Read TBI Director Mark Gwyn’s statement on Carlie’s safe return.

Gwyn called the men heroes for deciding to check the remote area after authorities had issued a call for help finding Carlie. Gwyn says there are no indications that Carlie was harmed, but she is being taken to a hospital as a precaution to be examined.

Simpson is charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, and officers and agents will pursue additional charges if warranted, according to the TBI.