By HAYLEY HARMON
6 News Anchor/Reporter
KINGSTON (WATE) - The race for Roane County property assessor is heating up once again.
James Woods, a candidate for the post, shot himself in June in the front yard of incumbent Teresa Kirkham's house.
Then on Friday, an alleged confrontation occurred between Kirkham and another candidate, David Morgan. Morgan said Kirkham threatened him outside the Roane County Courthouse.
Friday was the first day of early voting.
"I saw out of the corner of my eye, Ms. Kirkham was making a beeline in my direction. I didn't know for what reason. She's been trying to engage me and I don't want nothing to do with that, you know?" said Morgan.
He said what happened next caught him off guard.
"And she walked right up next to me and she said 'I'll whip your "a double s" if you mention my name to anybody again'," Morgan claims.
But Morgan said he doesn't know what prompted the outburst.
"I'm not sure because nobody even mentioned her name. I was talking to my fellow campaigners about putting my signs up," he said.
Even when he tried to walk away, Morgan said, Kirkham continued.
"She seemed very hostile, very adamant on trying to engage in me in some kind of conversation and I just didn't want to have none of it," Morgan said.
Finally, Morgan said, he was forced to take action.
"I started walking away, she kept following me. I said 'Teresa, please get away,'" he said. "Well finally I just had to call 911."
Kirkham and several witnesses, who were just feet away at the time, said it never happened.
"What he said happened did not happen," said bystander Rick Cantrell, who is not affiliated with either candidate. "He turned around and announced to everyone, 'I'm calling the police because Teresa just walked by me and said she was going to kick my... if I ever mention her name again. That did not happen."
Cantrell said he never saw the candidates speak to each other.
"There were over a dozen people here on the sidewalk and nobody heard what he said, or what she was supposed to say," said Cantrell.
6 News tried to contact Kingston Police to confirm that a police report was filed, but could not get a comment by news time.
Property Assessor Teresa Kirkham could not speak to 6 News on Saturday either. She did, however, issue a statement through a representative, saying, "in her opinion, no such incident occurred."
"And she walked right up next to me and she said 'I'll whip your --- if you mention my name to anybody again'," Morgan claims.
Bystander Rick Cantrell told 6 News Reporter Hayley Harmon he never saw the candidates speak to each other.
