UPDATE: Man arrested in N.C. is Lt. Col. with KY Nat’l Guard

BRYSON CITY, N.C. (AP/WLOS/WTVQ) – A statement from the Kentucky National Guard confirms that one of three men arrested in Bryson City, N.C. is a Lieutenant Colonel assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing in Louisville.

John Ward has served with the wing for nearly 12 years, says Col. David J. Mounkes, who declined further comment on the case.

Ward, along with his two nephews were arrested Sunday morning after police say they yelled obscenities, and threatened police officers.

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11:17 a.m.

Three men from Kentucky were arrested early Sunday morning in Bryson City, N.S. after police say they ran at the Bryson City Police Department yelling obscenities and threatening officers.

Media outlets report that 49-year-old John Ward and his two nephews, 23-year-old Samuel Ward and 22-year-old Houston Ward, were arrested early Sunday morning.

Bryson City Police officer Josh Freeman says the men were outside a bar when they saw a police car drive by. As the officer drove past the men, Freeman says two off-duty officers standing outside the police department across the street heard the men yell obscenities and say, “let’s kill us a cop.”

He says the men then ran toward the police department.

The two off-duty officers subdued the men at gunpoint and called for backup. Police didn’t find weapons on the men.

It’s unclear if the men have attorneys.