Waverly Man Held On $1M Bond After Threats

Upon receiving the forwarded email, Tennessee Office of Homeland Security Supervisory Agent Brice Allen immediately forwarded the email to the Tennessee Fusion Center, who later contacted the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The THP Criminal Investigations Division made contact with Semans at his Waverly residence where he admitted he made the threat and the claim about joining ISIS. He said he didn’t own any guns, was apologetic and called the station back saying he was just kidding.
THP’s CID consulted with Assistant District Attorney Joey Hornick and District Attorney Ray Crouch of the 23rd Judicial District who suggested that THP charge Semans with “Commission of Act of Terrorism,” which is a Class A Felony (39-13-805).
THP Special Operations served the warrants on Semans and he was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to Humphreys County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond. The house was secured and searched, resulting in a cell phone and tablet being taken for further analysis. No weapons were found.
“When we work together for the common good of our community, we are all safer,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Dereck R. Stewart. “I am so proud of the process, the teamwork and partnerships that worked together seamlessly to prevent a possible very serious situation. I am thankful that WKRN-TV contacted our department, for if we had not received this notification, then it is very possible that the narrative of this release could have been tragically worse.”