KNOXVILLE, TN (WOKI) – A routine traffic stop on Interstate 40 led to the arrest of a man wanted on multiple child sex crime charges in Knox County.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, officers stopped a Dodge Durango for a traffic violation at approximately 10:45 p.m. Tuesday on I-40 West near Pellissippi Parkway.
During the stop, officers identified the driver as Samuel Hatmaker, 47, of Rutledge.
Further investigation revealed Hatmaker was wanted on a 12-count indictment issued in Knox County.
The indictment charges Hatmaker with five counts of rape of a child, three counts of aggravated sexual battery, three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count of attempted aggravated sexual battery.
Police said Hatmaker was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Knox County Detention Facility.
In announcing the arrest, the Knoxville Police Department praised the officers involved in the traffic stop.
“We appreciate our officers for their diligence and proactive efforts to remove individuals who prey on vulnerable members of our community from the street,” the department said in a statement.
Additional details regarding the allegations were not immediately released.
