Tennessee Man Arrested After Marriage Proposal Goes Off Rails

There are good marriage proposals. There are unfortunate ones that end with a no. Then, there are the ones that fall into their own category.

According to WKRN-TV, police say that a man walked into a convenience store in Tennessee on April 29 to purchase some small items. He apparently became enamored with the clerk behind the counter and wanted to do something about it.

He went back home and thought of a plan. The next day, police say the suspect, Dustin Burgett, showed back up to the store armed with a ring, a proposal and a gun.

According to Lawrence County Sheriff John Myers, “She proceeds to tell this guy, ‘Hey look, I’ve got a boyfriend and I’ve got a family and I’m not interested.'”

Then, while the 19-year-old clerk and her female co-worker were sitting outside, it got even more bizarre.

Myers says, “He gets out of his truck and he’s got one of his hands behind his back. That automatically puts the clerks on alert. Behind his back is a bouquet of flowers, and he asks this girl again to marry him and she tells him again, ‘No. I mean, I’ve got a family, I’ve got a boyfriend, I’m not interested,'” the sheriff explained.

“That’s when he pulls a knife from the front of his overalls and makes a statement to the store clerks that if he doesn’t get married today by somebody, somebody’s going to die, as he’s looking and pointing this knife at this 19-year-old store clerk.”

While the suspect was getting patted down by police, video showed him saying, “The wedding band’s in my chest pocket there. I don’t mean no wrong.”

In the suspect’s truck were $3,600 in cash and a loaded shotgun. Police also discovered wedding rings in a small box and a bouquet of red roses.

In the end, Burgett was charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!