Men in custody after Lawrence County deputy shot

NASHVILLE (AP) — Three Lawrenceburg men are charged with stealing tires and shooting a deputy after they ran a roadblock in Summertown before dawn Wednesday, authorities said.

Deputy Jason Runnels of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department suffered a facial wound and was in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“He’s resting in a room at Vanderbilt,” Lawrence County Sheriff William Dorning said. “He does have a wound to the jaw area and also has a wound on the elbow, but nothing is life threatening and we’re just thankful.”

Beth Denton, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said the three men were found in the Lawrenceburg area about seven hours after the 4 a.m. shooting. The men were suspected in a tire theft.

Kristopher D. Houser, 25, is charged with two counts of burglary and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Jason E. Clayton, 21, and Tony Owen, 24, are each charged with two counts of burglary.

The TBI helped in the investigation at the request of local authorities and the district attorney because there was an attempt on a deputy’s life, Denton said.

Lawrence County is about 65 miles south of Nashville.