MILLOY, WEEKLY REACH MILESTONES, #3 LADY VOLS DEFEAT #17 ALABAMA, 5-0
Courtesy / UT Athletics

MILLOY, WEEKLY REACH MILESTONES, #3 LADY VOLS DEFEAT #17 ALABAMA, 5-0

Posted on April 27, 2024

Game Recap: Softball | April 26, 2024

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Graduate Kiki Milloy became UT’s all-time runs leader, while head coach Karen Weekly notched her 1,300th career victory Friday night at Rhoads Stadium in No. 4 Tennessee’s 5-0 shutout victory over No. 17 Alabama.

Tennessee (36-8, 15-4 SEC) used a pair of two-run innings to take game one down in Tuscaloosa. After scoring once in the first, UT pushed two runs across the plate in the fifth before a two-run home run accounted for its fourth and fifth runs of the night in the seventh.

Senior Zaida Puni led the offense going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Her two-run home run in the top of the seventh gave Tennessee a little insurance. The blast was her team-high 12th of the year.

Milloy was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and three runs scored. Her third run of the game in the seventh inning was the 256th of her career – surpassing LVFL Aubrey Leach for most in program history.

Graduate Payton Gottshall got the start in the circle for Tennessee, tossing her seventh complete game and earning her second shutout. The right-hander recorded four strikeouts, walked two and scattered three hits en route to her 18th victory.

Giulia Koutsoyanopulos picked up two hits – a double and a single – and scored one run. McKenna Gibson, Sophia Nugent and Taylor Pannell rounded out Tennessee’s 10 hits.

Alabama (31-13, 8-11 SEC) started Kayla Beaver in the circle – letting her toss six innings. She allowed three runs – one earned – on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Jaala Torrence came on in the seventh and surrendered two runs on two hits with one strikeout.

Beaver took the loss – her seventh on the season.

Bailey Dowling, Kali Heivilin and Kristen White had Alabama’s three hits on the night.

STAT OF THE DAY
Tennessee is 34-0 when scoring three-plus runs this season and improved to 31-0 when leading after the fourth inning.

UP NEXT
Tennessee and Alabama will be back on the diamond Saturday night for game two of the series. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Jefferson County Nurse Charged after Stealing Pills from Patient, Sheriff’s Office Says

Jefferson County Nurse Charged after Stealing Pills from Patient, Sheriff’s Office Says

Posted on April 26, 2024

Jefferson City, TN (WOKI) An in-home nurse in Jefferson City is facing several charges after authorities say she stole medication from one of her patients.

Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office say 47-year-old Sally Hensley was charged Friday with theft, burglary and neglect of an elderly or vulnerable adult after security camera footage provided by the patient showed Hensley pocketing approximately 15 hydrocodone pills.

The patient had alerted authorities about missing medication earlier in the week.

JCSO says they don’t think this was an isolated event and encourages any patient with similar circumstances involving this nurse to contact Det./Sgt. Jonathan Owens at 866-397-9411 ext. 1106.”

Great Smoky Mountains Synchronized Firefly Lottery Now Open

Great Smoky Mountains Synchronized Firefly Lottery Now Open

Posted on April 26, 2024

Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing opportunity at Elkmont from Monday, June 3 through Monday, June 10, but securing a spot requires entering a lottery.

The event is one of the park’s most unique. Each year in late May or early June, Photinus carolinus, a firefly species, flashes synchronously. Since 2006, the park has limited access to Elkmont during the event’s peak to help reduce traffic and disturbances to the insects.

You can enter the lottery for a seven person maximum vehicle reservation by going to recreation dot gov starting Friday, April 26 at 10 a.m. through Monday, April 29 at 11:59 p.m.

A total of 1,120 vehicle reservations (140 per night) will be issued.

All lottery applicants will be charged a $1.00 application fee. Successful applicants will automatically be given reservations, and a $24.00 reservation fee will be charged to the same credit or debit card used for the application fee.

During the event, Elkmont will close to the general public after 4:00 p.m.; exceptions are made for passholders, Elkmont campers and campers headed to the backcountry.

Crime Stoppers Asks for Help Finding 2 Missing Knoxville Children

Crime Stoppers Asks for Help Finding 2 Missing Knoxville Children

Posted on April 26, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers asks for help Friday afternoon in tracking down two missing Knoxville children.

Two year old Serenity Yera and 4-year-old Fate Yera were reportedly last known to be living at 2080 Cecil Johnson Road, but the Department of Children’s Services has not been able to check in on them.

At this time, Crime Stoppers says they are not believed to be in danger, but it is “imperative” that they are located.

Those with information are being asked to call East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Tomorrow

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Tomorrow

Posted on April 26, 2024

NASHVILLE, Tenn.— What if you could clean out clutter, prevent addiction, and protect the quality of your drinking water all at the same time?  This Saturday, you can!

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS), state and local government partners, dozens of substance use prevention coalitions, and law enforcement agencies are teaming up for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 27.  There are more than 110 locally organized events across Tennessee with most scheduled for 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m local time.

Find a Take Back Day Event near you using this interactive map. https://tntogether.com/takebackday/

Take Back Day is an opportunity for anyone to safely and securely dispose of medications in their home that are either expired or no longer needed.  In 2023, Tennesseans disposed of nearly 13,000 pounds of medications across the two Take Back Days in April and October. 

“Chances are good you have prescription medications that you don’t need anymore.  Disposal is easy and fast at one of our Take Back Day events.  With prescription opioids and other medications, there’s risk of misuse and potential addiction.  By getting them out of your house, you might prevent years of heartache or even save a life,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. 

“Safe and secure disposal of prescription drugs protects public health and Tennessee’s waterways,” said David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day helps raise awareness about this important issue and TDEC is proud to be a part of it.”

For people unable to stop by a Take Back Day event, there are 379 permanent drug drop boxes located across the state with at least one in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties.  In 2023, Tennesseans safely and securely disposed of more than 57 tons of medications through the permanent drug drop boxes.

West Knoxville Shooting Suspect Taken into Custody in Kentucky, Police Say

West Knoxville Shooting Suspect Taken into Custody in Kentucky, Police Say

Posted on April 26, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: The suspect in Thursday night’s deadly shooting at a West Knoxville apartment has been taken into custody in Kentucky.

Knoxville police reporting that 49-year-old Michael Merrick was arrested for a DUI charge in Whitley County, Kentucky. He is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 49-year-old Nicole Fanney.

Fanney was found dead inside of her apartment at 3210 Atchley Ridge Way late Thursday night.

Police say the shooting is believed to be domestic in nature.

Merrick is currently being held at the Whitley County Detention Center, and will soon be extradited back to Knoxville.

ORIGINAL STORY: Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives are pursuing strong leads after responding to a deadly shooting at a West Knoxville apartment late Thursday night.

At around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, 2024, KPD officers were dispatched to an apartment at 3210 Atchley Ridge Way in regards to a deceased person. Officers arrived on scene and found a woman inside of the apartment who had been shot multiple times. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

A suspect has not been arrested or charged at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing. 

Fatal Hit-and-Run on Chapman Highway

Fatal Hit-and-Run on Chapman Highway

Posted on April 26, 2024

The Knoxville Police Department is investigating an overnight fatal, hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian.

At around 1:40 a.m. on Friday, April 26, 2024, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to the reported hit-and-run on Chapman Highway at Fort Avenue, just south of the Henley Street Bridge. Officers arrived on scene and found the victim in the intersection. The victim, an adult man, was transported to the UT Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A witness reported that the victim was hit by a black SUV while walking across Chapman Highway, and that the SUV continued to drive south on Chapman Highway after striking the victim.

The suspect vehicle has not been positively identified or located at this time, despite extensive efforts by responding officers to canvass the area.

The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending next of kin notification and the investigation remains ongoing at this time. Anyone with information concerning the suspect vehicle is urged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Multiple People and Dogs in a South Knoxville House Fire, One Dog is Shot

Multiple People and Dogs in a South Knoxville House Fire, One Dog is Shot

Posted on April 26, 2024

11 people and 33 dogs are safe after making it out of a home during a fire in South Knoxville.

Knoxville Fire department investigators are working to find out what started this fire at a home in the 200 block of Stone Road.

KFD says the owners reported that fire around at 3:00 this morning. (Friday)

Fire crews were able to put the fire out but 1 of the 33 dogs that live there attacked another dog during the fire and the owner shot that attacking dog.

Knoxville Police took the who shot the dog into custody.

Knoxville animal control is moving those animals and Stone Road was closed for hours but reportedly reopened after 7 a.m.

#3 VOLS GO DEEP SIX TIMES IN SERIES-OPENING WIN OVER MISSOURI
Courtesy / UT Athletics

#3 VOLS GO DEEP SIX TIMES IN SERIES-OPENING WIN OVER MISSOURI

Posted on April 26, 2024

Game Recap: Baseball | April 25, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3/3 Tennessee opened its series against Missouri with a bang, tying a season high with six home runs to cruise to a 10-1 win on Thursday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Six of the Vols’ 10 hits on the night left the yard while all 10 of their runs came via the long ball. UT has now hit six home runs in a game five different times this season.

Billy Amick picked up where he left off in the midweek with his second straight two-homer game, bringing his total to 16 on the year. The junior third baseman went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs, giving him 11 RBIs over his last two games.

Christian Moore had another big night at the dish as well, hitting a homer to leadoff the bottom of the first inning to get things rolling, marking his sixth home run in his last six games. The New York native finished 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored for the game.

Cal Stark also went deep for the fifth time this season, hitting a three-run blast to put UT ahead 4-0 in the second inning.

Cannon Peebles rounded out the scoring for the Big Orange with his first homer of the year, a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.

The duo of starter Chris Stamos and reliever AJ Causey was excellent on the mound, combining for nine strikeouts while allowing just one run over 8.2 innings. Causey got the win to improve to 7-3 on the year after tossing six innings out of the bullpen while finishing with six punchouts.

Danny Corona led the Tigers (19-24, 6-13 SEC) at the plate from the nine hole, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the seventh inning to account for Missouri’s lone run.

Starting pitcher Ryan Magdic fell to 1-2 on the year after giving up five runs on three hits, all home runs, in three innings of work.

STAT OF THE GAME: The nation’s longest hitting streak came to an end on Thursday night as Blake Burke failed to record a hit for just the third time this season, ending his program-record 31-game hit streak.

UP NEXT: The Vols (35-7, 13-6 SEC) will look to secure their sixth straight SEC series win with a victory in game two of the series on Friday night. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.  

THREE MEN ARRESTED FOLLOWING TBI ONLINE CHILD EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATION

THREE MEN ARRESTED FOLLOWING TBI ONLINE CHILD EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATION

Posted on April 25, 2024

MCMINNVILLE – Special agents assigned to TBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force have arrested and charged three men accused of uploading child sexual abuse material online.

TBI agents opened the investigation after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about three individuals uploading child sexual abuse material on platforms such as Dropbox and Discord. During the investigation, agents identified the individuals and, on Tuesday and Wednesday, conducted an operation to search two homes, during which agents seized a total of 44 electronic devices for further examination. They also arrested Garry Alford (DOB 3-15-1984), Johnathan Curtis (DOB 2-18-1992), and Clifton Johnston (DOB 12-22-1985) and charged each with one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Authorities subsequently booked all three men into the Warren County Jail, on bond amounts of $50,000 for Alford and Curtis, and $75,000 for Johnston.

The TBI’s Criminal Investigation Division, Drug Investigation Division, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, McMinnville Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the operation.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an ICAC affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of online child exploitation should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, [email protected], or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

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