Attempted Homicide Suspect Arrested

By Jessie Williams
Ben Bolte of Red Boiling Springs was arrested and charged with attempted homicide by authorities on Thursday, January 25, following an incident that occurred last December when he shot at a man and stole his vehicle.

According to the Affidavit of Complaint from December 19, 2017, the victim – Keaton Blough – received a phone call from his friend Karley (Stephens) Murrell who asked him to come pick her up. Once he arrived, Keaton discovered Karley was accompanied by a man he did not know, who she claimed was her brother.
The trio went to a store and then drove down Akersville Road. When they got to the Akersville Road & Williams Rd. intersection, Bolte asked Keaton to stop and let him out. He then exited the vehicle with what appeared to be a small rifle.
After a short period, Keaton and Karley returned to pick Bolte up, who still had the rifle on him.
While driving on Cave Hollow Road, Keaton got out to relieve himself on the side of the road and heard his car door closing and, when he turned around to get back in the vehicle, Bolte tried to drive off.
“Keaton did grab the door and then grab the rack on top of the vehicle and pulled himself to the roof of the vehicle,” Officer Jason Bohanan’s report states. “Keaton stated they headed up Cave Hollow Rd. toward Galen Rd. at a high rate of speed, at which time he heard two shots fired so he jumped off of the vehicle. From that point, Keaton remembers walking back toward the direction of his residence. Keaton did go to a residence and knocked on the door, at which time this individual gave him a ride to his friend’s house.”
After arriving at his friend’s house, Keaton was taken home and his mother notified the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
After some investigation it was learned Bolte was Karley’s boyfriend and not her brother.
Keaton was transported to Sumner Regional ER to get medical treatment and a warrant was taken out on Bolte.
Last Thursday, January 25, officers received a tip that Bolte was at a residence on Highway 10 North.
“Deputies knocked on the door and no one answered, but they could hear people inside running around,” said Macon County Sheriff Mark Gammons. “Entry was gained and Ben Bolte was found hiding in a closet.”
Bolte resisted arrest and a taser was deployed. He was apprehended on charges of attempted murder and resisting arrest.
Keaton’s stolen vehicle was located last week in Jackson County and was processed for bullet holes. A total of five rounds had been fired through the top of his Jeep.
Ben Bolte’s bond was revoked, and he is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on February 7, 2018.
Authorities are still on the lookout for Karley Murrell.