Tennessee man charged after driving truck playing ‘similar’ audio to Nashville RV

Warning message blared from a loudspeaker before Christmas Day explosion

A truck driver has been arrested on felony charges after reports he was driving a vehicle playing similar audio to the Nashville motorhome that exploded on Christmas Day, a Tennessee sheriff’s office has said.  

James Turgeon, 33, was detained and charged with two counts of felony filing a false report and one count of tampering with evidence on Sunday, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

On Sunday, residents in Walter Hill said they heard the box truck driver “play audio similar to the audio heard before the Nashville explosion”, a release said.

Detective Sgt Steve Craig said patrol deputies responded to the reports of the audio outside the Crossroads Market and later discovered reports of similar behaviour outside a church during a service.

Sheriff’s deputies later stopped Mr Turgeon while driving in Wilson County and detained him for questioning, the release said.

Mr Turgeon received the evidence tampering charge because he “damaged the speaker system wiring intentionally,” officials say.

THP’s Special Operations Unit sent a bomb-detecting robot to investigate the truck, but officials confirmed that no device was detected.

Police said that the man is being held on $500,000 bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

The arrest comes after a recreational vehicle exploded in Nashville on Christmas Day in what police believe may have been an elaborate suicide.

Before the Nashville motorhome exploded, a warning message was blared from a loudspeaker. The motive remains unclear.