Article Preview

Courthouse elevator traps voters again

By Robert Sorrell

Three local citizens visiting the Carter County Courthouse to vote Thursday became stuck in the elevator, the second such incident this week.

Husband and wife Jerry Reece Sr. and Janette Reece said they were going to the second floor to vote, when the elevator stopped. They were stuck in the elevator between five and 10 minutes, they said.

Courthouse employees discovered the elevator had stopped and called 911. Elizabethton Fire Marshal Jack Buckles, however, was already at the courthouse on other business and assisted the trapped elevator occupants, using an emergency key to open the door.