Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Cookeville man on an aggravated assault charge after he allegedly displayed a handgun during a confrontation with an employee at a Jackson Street store.
Sheriff Eddie Farris said deputies investigated the incident and identified William Derek Rouse through surveillance footage from the business. Investigators later discovered Rouse was legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
“Our deputies responded to a report involving one firearm and learned that the suspect had access to eight firearms in his home, despite being prohibited from possessing firearms,” Farris said. “All eight were voluntarily surrendered as a result of this investigation.”
Farris said the confrontation began when an employee asked Rouse to provide identification before making a credit card purchase, as required by store policy. Rouse allegedly said he did not have identification before lifting his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a black handgun.
Deputies arrested Rouse without incident. Farris said the eight firearms surrendered during the investigation included five rifles, one revolver and two 9mm semi-automatic handguns.
The release said the employee told investigators that another law enforcement agency had initially been contacted but declined to take a report. The Sheriff’s Office subsequently investigated the complaint and identified Rouse as the suspect.