Knoxville, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway following the death of a man while in Knoxville police custody.
Knoxville Police Department officials say its Office of Professional Standards is set to review the death of a 57-year-old man after he was detained by the department during a search warrant executed late Sunday night at the Ammons apartment complex on Asheville Highway.
KPD says after being detained, the man reportedly said he did not feel well and was taken to UT Medical Center where he died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
KPD adds that a preliminary review of body camera footage showed no force and no violations of KPD policy but that the Office of Professional Standards would be reviewing the incident, per standard protocol.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation into the in-custody death.
KPD says no officers have been placed on leave at this time.
Nashville, TN (WOKI / WVLT / WSMV) The Tennessee Department of Health is investigating a botulism-like illness after reported botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes.
The joint investigation with the CDC, FDA and other states has identified concerns about the use of counterfeit products or products with unclear origin administered in non-medical settings such as homes or cosmetic spas.
The health department says that cosmetic injections should be an FDA-approved product, administered by licensed providers and in licensed settings. Suspected botulism illnesses should be reported immediately to the TDH at 615-741-7247.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A man is facing several charges after leading Knoxville Police Department officers on a chase down Chapman Highway Sunday afternoon.
KPD officials say officers responded to a suspicious vehicle off Chapman Highway around 5:00 p.m. Sunday to find 39-year-old Jerad Morrell and 35-year-old Stephanie Epperson who reportedly told the officers there was a gun in their van but that they did not know where it was.
Jerad Morrell, 39 (Courtesy: JIMS)
Officers asked them to step out of the van; however, Morrell refused to comply and drove away from the scene, reportedly striking an officer in the process.
Morrell lead police on a chase south on Chapman Highway before crashing into another car and eventually being caught by officers while fleeing on foot.
The driver of the vehicle that was hit was taken to UT Medical Center to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, according to KPD. A KPD officer was also treated for injuries sustained during the foot pursuit.
Police say Morrell had a loaded handgun, suspected crack cocaine and 18 computers and phones in his car; he is charged with multiple felonies, including felony evading arrest.
Epperson was charged with schedule II drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The victim of the April 5th homicide at 3206 Gilbert Lane has been identified as Danishka Sibaja Mejia, 22 of Knoxville.
One day prior to her death, on April 4, Mejia reported that she was the victim of a sexual assault at a home in the 600 block of Walker Street in West Knoxville, naming 39-year-old Latawyne Osborne as the suspect.
On April 5, while officers were on scene investigating Mejia’s death, Osborne arrived at the UT Medical Center to receive treatment for non-life-threatening gunshots wounds. Upon his release, Osborne was questioned by Homicide Unit detectives.
After continued investigation, Osborne was charged with rape, stemming from Mejia’s April 4th report.
Homicide Unit detectives questioned Osborne in reference to Mejia’s death. The investigation into her death remains ongoing at this time.
Osborne remains in custody at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility.
On Friday afternoon, KPD Special Operations Squad personnel conducted a search warrant at the home where the sexual assault is alleged to have occurred on Walker Street, detaining multiple individuals for further investigation that is potentially relevant to the ongoing homicide investigation.
Country music star Morgan Wallen ends up in jail after he allegedly threw a chair from the top of a Broadway bar in Nashville.
WVLT says reports show that 30-year-old Wallen was on the roof of Chiefs Bar last night (Sunday), which is owned by fellow country music singer Eric Church, when witnesses watched him pick up a chair, throw it over the roof, and laugh about it. The rooftop of the bar sits six stories above Broadway.
Two officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department were below on Broadway, the chair landed three feet from them.
Wallen was arrested and is charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of disorderly conduct.
He posted a bond of $15,250 and was released from jail.
A rare, total solar eclipse is expected to bring darkness to cities across the United States on Monday, April 8. While Knoxville is not in the path of totality, the excitement for the phenomenon is still palpable in East Tennessee.
At the peak eclipse, scientists tell WVLT News about 90% of the sun will be covered in Knoxville. However, it can cause serious or permanent eye damage if you don’t wear certified, safe glasses to view the eclipse.
“Even 1% of that sun is too much to look at with your naked eye,” said Dave Ticehurst, a volunteer NASA “eclipse ambassador” for the Knoxville region.
Breakdown of the total solar eclipse by Dave Ticehurst.(WVLT)
Be mindful that several schools in East Tennessee will close early for the solar event.
It’s almost time for another solar eclipse to pass by East Tennessee and school districts around the region are preparing for it.
As of this article’s writing, the following districts have announced they will dismiss early on April 8 for the eclipse:
Alcoa City
Anderson County
Athens City
Blount County
Campbell County
Claiborne County
Clinton City
Cocke County
Cumberland County
Grainger County
Greene County
Hamblen County
Hancock County
Hawkins County
Knox County
Lenoir City
Loudon County
Maryville City
Oak Ridge
Roane County
Scott County
Sevier County
Tennessee School for the Deaf
Union County
The following districts told WVLT News they will be moving to virtual learning on April 8:
McMinn County
Monroe County
Morgan County
The following districts told WVLT News they will be closed on April 8 for the eclipse:
Oneida City
The following districts said they are not planning to close or dismiss early for the eclipse:
Jefferson County
WVLT News has reached out but not received word from the following districts:
Fentress County
Newport
The eclipse will pass by on April 8, allowing people to see the sun disappear briefly behind the moon, creating an eerie mid-day darkness.
It will also reveal the sun’s corona, or the outermost part of its atmosphere, which is usually obscured by its brightness.
Of course, one should never look directly at the sun, even partially obscured, and one should avoid looking at it through tools like binoculars or other such gadgets without a special solar filter. Doing so risks severe eye damage.
NASA has several other tips for how to experience a solar eclipse safely.
After this eclipse, there will be quite a wait for the next one. The National Park Service said the next annular, or ring of fire, eclipse will happen in North America in 2041, and the next total one will occur in 2044.
AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4/4 Tennessee continued its red-hot hitting from Saturday’s victory with another explosive offensive performance on Sunday afternoon, run-ruling Auburn for the second straight day to claim the series with a 19-5 win at Plainsman Park.
For the second game in a row, the Big Orange (26-6, 7-5 SEC) blasted six home runs and finished with 14 total for the weekend, the most in any series during the Tony Vitello era.
UT’s 19 runs were its most in a conference game this year and marked the sixth time it has scored double-digit runs in SEC play this season. After going down in order in the top of the first, the Vols scored in each of the next six innings, including a seven-spot in the second and four more in the third to blow the game open.
Cal Stark led the charge in Sunday’s power display with two home runs and seven RBIs, both career highs. Stark also had a career-best three hits and four runs scored on the day.
His first hit of the afternoon was a grand slam to put the Vols ahead 5-3 in the top of the second after they fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. It was his second slam of the season and Tennessee’s second in as many days.
The Knoxville native hammered an 0-1 pitch over the tall left-field wall in his second at-bat for a three-run blast and added a double later in the game to finish 3-for-3 while also drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch to reach base in all five of his plate appearances.
Blake Burke had three hits on the day, as well, to extend his hit streak to 22 games, which is the fourth longest in program history and the longest since the duo of Jeff Pickler and Justin Ross hit safely in 26 and 24 games, respectively, during the 1998 season. Condredge Holloway holds the program record with a 27-game hit streak in1975.
Christian Moore continued his impressive weekend with another multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. The Brooklyn, New York, native, hit his team-leading 13th home run in the second inning and finished the series with team highs in hits (seven), doubles (three), homers (three), RBIs (10) and total bases (19).
Nate Snead recorded his team-leading sixth victory after pitching four innings of relief with three strikeouts. Andrew Behnke made his return to the mound and retired the side in order to end the game in the bottom of the seventh.
After back-to-back singles to start the frame, Cooper McMurray got the Tigers (18-13, 2-10 SEC) off to a quick start with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, but Auburn was held to just five hits for the remainder of the game.
Starting pitcher Will Cannon was credited with the loss after he surrendered six runs on three hits and two walks in just 1.1 innings of work.
With Sunday’s win, UT secured its third straight victory in a Sunday rubber game and improved to 3-1 in series-deciding contests this season.
STATS OF THE GAME: The Vols hit their second grand slam of the series when Stark became the first UT player to hit two this season. His second inning salami added to Tennessee’s single-season record as it now has nine on the year. Eight of Stark’s 10 RBIs this season have come via grand slams.
With Sunday’s series-clinching victory, the Vols secured their first series win at Auburn since 2005. Tennessee was 1-8 in its previous nine games on the road against the Tigers entering this weekend’s series.
UP NEXT: The Big Orange return to Knoxville for four home games next week, starting with a midweek contest against Alabama A&M on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before defending national champion LSU visits Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a highly-anticipated weekend series.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 6 Lady Vols clinched a series victory against the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and secured their 30th win of the season with a spectacular performance in the late stages of the game on Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, a one-out single by Rylie West put two Lady Vols in scoring position with runners on second and third. Sophia Nugent’s one-out, opposite-field blast on the next at-bat propelled Tennessee (30-6, 10-2 SEC) to its 3-1 victory.
Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens got the start in the circle and retired the first six batters she faced, aided by five strikeouts. The sophomore right-hander finished the day with eight punchouts in five innings, allowing three hits and a run.
Payton Gottshall came on in the top of the sixth and secured her 13th win of the season, retiring Georgia’s (31-8, 7-5 SEC) final six batters in order with three strikeouts.
Georgia took the initial lead in the top of the third inning with a sacrifice fly from Jaiden Fields, bringing Hannah Davila home to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 edge. Sunday’s rubber match between a pair of top 10 teams was a pitcher’s duel, as both teams combined for two hits entering the sixth inning.
Georgia began the sixth inning with back-to-back singles, prompting a pitching change and bringing an end to Pickens’ day in the circle.
Bulldog starter Shelby Walters took the loss, pitching 5.1 innings and conceding three runs and three walks.
UP NEXT The Lady Vols will begin a three-game set against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville on Friday, April 12th at 7 p.m. ET.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Sunday that Kim Caldwell, the 2024 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year, has been chosen to lead the Lady Volunteers. She will be introduced Tuesday at a press conference on campus.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to find a dynamic head coach who can restore our women’s basketball program to national prominence. Kim Caldwell is the ideal person to lead us,” said White. “Kim has a winning formula that she has successfully implemented everywhere she has coached, with a fast-paced, high-octane offense and pressure defense that has led to remarkable results. In this new era of college sports, it was vital that we found an innovative head coach with a strong track record of winning titles. We are eager to return the Lady Vols to a championship level, and we’re confident that Kim Caldwell is the coach who can lead us back to the top.”
Caldwell becomes the fourth head coach of the Lady Vols in the NCAA era of women’s basketball, which began with the late, legendary Pat Summitt at the helm. A rising star in the profession, Caldwell has quickly made an elite mark at two different levels of the game, earning eight NCAA berths and winning seven conference trophies in her eight seasons as a head coach. She led NCAA Division II Glenville State and DI Marshall to championship seasons with a high-octane attack on both ends of the floor and now takes the reins of the winningest program in women’s hoops history.
“I am honored and humbled to accept the role as head coach of this historic program at the University of Tennessee,” Caldwell said. “I can’t help but reflect on accepting the Pat Summitt Trophy three seasons ago and be moved by the great responsibility and opportunity of now leading and building upon the incredible Lady Vol tradition she built. I am so excited to get to work and can’t wait to see what we all can accomplish together.”
Caldwell earned the aforementioned national recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association after guiding Marshall to a 26-7 overall record and 17-1 league mark in her first season there in 2023-24. She also was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year after directing the Thundering Herd to both the league’s regular season and tournament titles as well as the school’s second NCAA Tournament berth ever and first since 1997.
Marshall ranked in the top five nationally in seven different statistical categories in Caldwell’s first season with the Herd. One of the nation’s most prolific scoring offenses, the Herd finished with nine games of 90+ points and five games with over 100 points. Marshall led the nation in three-point field goals attempted and third in three-pointers made per game with over 10 per contest.
After being picked ninth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll, Marshall proceeded to generate 85.3 points per game (fourth nationally) and force 24.2 turnovers per contest (second nationally) in notching a program best for wins. Caldwell’s victory total stands as the most by a first-year coach in MU women’s hoops history and marked the first 20-win regular-season campaign by the school since 1990-91.
With a 217-31 (.875) career record in eight seasons as a head coach, including 149-13 (.920) in conference games, Caldwell got her start as a program leader at her alma mater under her maiden name of Kim Stephens. She led Glenville State to the 2021-22 NCAA Division II National Championship in her sixth year at the school and helped the Pioneers make seven NCAA appearances and claim six Mountain East Conference regular season crowns and four tournament titles.
For the 2021-22 season’s accomplishment, she was presented the Pat Summitt Trophy, which goes to the WBCA’s NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. She also earned the 2022 Furfari Award, which is presented to West Virginia’s College Coach of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
In seven seasons with the Pioneers, the 2011 GSU graduate compiled a 191-24 mark, including a 132-12 slate in the MEC. Her final two editions forged a 68-4 combined record, including the 35-1 national championship season (22-0 in league play) in 2021-22 and a 33-3 outcome after advancing to the national semifinals in 2022-23. Her final unit there led NCAA Division II in points per game (91.2) and turnovers forced (27.3).
From 2016-23, she directed Glenville to six MEC regular season titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and four MEC Tournament trophies (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023), earning MEC Coach of the Year honors four times in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Prior to her stint at GSU, she served as an assistant at Sacramento State for three seasons from 2013-16 under Bunky Harkleroad, for the 2012-13 season at Glenville State an assistant to Harkleroad and began her college coaching career at Ohio Valley University, filling a role as an assistant there from 2011-12.
A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Caldwell helped lead GSU to the 2010-11 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship as a player and earn an NCAA Division II Tournament berth. She was named the WVIAC Student-Athlete of the Year that season and academically made the WVIAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll as a junior and senior.
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Record As Head Coach (8 Seasons)
217-31 (.875) overall
149-13 (.920) in conference games
National Coach of the Year (2)
2024 WBCA Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year
2022 WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year (Pat Summitt Trophy)
