Four Arrested in Fatal Rock Drop

Four men were arrested Tuesday in the death of a passenger who was struck by a 10-pound rock dropped from a highway overpass, authorities said.

Sheriff Tim Hutchison said the suspects apparently were out looking for a night of thrill-seeking.

Two of the men apparently told family and friends that they were involved in the death of 69-year-old Barbara Weimer, Hutchison said. The relatives called police.

Hutchison said investigators found a van they think the suspects were driving when the bowling ball-sized rock crashed through the sport utility vehicle’s windshield on Interstate 75. Bricks and rocks similar to the one that hit Weimer were inside the van, he said.

Weimer, of Knoxville, died of head injuries en route to the hospital, police said. She was returning with her daughter and son-in-law from a graduation exercise in West Virginia.

The identities of the suspects were withheld until formal charges were filed. Three of the suspects range in age from 18 to 23. The other’s age was not known.