Blue Cove Hideaway closed again after weekend incident

RICEVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) – A thirteen year old was injured at the Blue Cove Hideaway in McMinn County over the weekend.

Since 2015, there have been 2 deaths at this location.

The owner was arrested twice over the weekend.

Charlie Womac says the second time was for encouraging people to ignore the court order closing the site.

“Everybody that called me, I said the police has got it shut down and if you go down there you’ll have to deal with them. They said they had some undercover cop call me, and asked me if he could go down there and go swim and I said “The police has got it locked down, if you go down there, you’ll have to deal with them, but if you go down by the pavilion there, sign the waiver.”

So, we asked if he said, “If” they go there, instead of telling them plainly, not to go.

“No, I didn’t tell them not to. I mean, they can go to the moon for all I care but, I didn’t tell them not to go. I told them that if they went down there they’d have to deal with the police. ”

Latosha Millsaps lives across the street from the entrance to the property, and she wasn’t surprised it has been temporarily closed.

“A lot of ongoing traffic, people flying out of there real fast and unsafe equipment and just not really trusting the place… they have like metal rafts and they have a thing that’s like a zip-line, that don’t look too safe.”

The neighbor’s reaction to news that the owner was arrested over last weekend?

“Didn’t surprise me I figured it would happen eventually.”

Jesse Martinez and his friends drove several hours to get to the secluded swimming hole today, and was disappointed to find it closed.

“Well, kind of disappointed because we came from like two hours away, and it’s pretty hot out so we’re trying to get in the water.”

Sheriff Joe Guy is planning a press event Tuesday to tell us what led to here, and what to expect next.