Halls Schools on Lockdown while Knox County Deputies Look for Carjacking Suspects

Halls Schools on Lockdown while Knox County Deputies Look for Carjacking Suspects

Posted on March 20, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Schools in the Halls area were placed under a “soft lockdown” Wednesday afternoon while Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched for two wanted suspects, KCSO Communications Director Kimberly Glenn told WOKI News in a release.

The suspects, a man and a woman, are accused of carjacking and wanted by the Knoxville Police Department, Glenn said. They reportedly crashed on Andersonville Pike and fled on foot, prompting KCSO to bring in K-9 units and the KCSO airwatch helicopter.

This is a developing story.

Fires are Under Control and an Investigation is Underway in Sevier County
Photo courtesy of WVLT

Fires are Under Control and an Investigation is Underway in Sevier County

Posted on March 20, 2024

An investigation is underway in Sevier County after an evacuation following a structure fire which led to a nearby neighbor being evacuated.

Crews responding to fires near Bluff Heights Road, that home has been destroyed and the fire is contained. The mobile home next door had to be evacuated but everyone is safe.

This house fire led to a small brush fire which threatened nearby structures but they were unaffected thanks to efforts of firefighters.

Crews worked overnight to address any hotspots.

More Human Remains are Found in Monroe County and are Believed to be Luke Butler
Photo courtesy of WVLT

More Human Remains are Found in Monroe County and are Believed to be Luke Butler

Posted on March 20, 2024

Since Luke Michael Butler went missing in October 2019, investigators and family members have been searching for answers surrounding his disappearance.

In 2022, Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said they found Butler’s skull near the woods around Rocky Springs Road.

Jones says another search team combed through that same area Saturday and found what they believe to be more of Butler’s remains, including a shoe that his sister, Harmony Garcia, said belonged to her brother. “It’s been a tough three or four years for my family,” said Garcia. The remains were sent to the Regional Forensics Center in Knoxville.

Butler, who left behind four children of his own, used to interact with Garcia’s children on a regular basis. “He would go out there and play with the kids, and he took my boys hunting and taught them how to hunt. He was a good person,” said Garcia.

While Sheriff Jones said they’re continuing to investigate the death as a homicide, they’re not ruling anything out as they continue to search for details around Butler’s disappearance.

If you have any information, you’re asked to contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Medic Regional Blood Center is Celebrating the Madness This Month

Medic Regional Blood Center is Celebrating the Madness This Month

Posted on March 20, 2024

MEDIC Regional Blood Center is Celebrating the Madness this Month

This month there are three campaign’s underway: Basketball-Themed Socks, Skip the Gift for Ronald McDonald House and E-Gift Cards for O Donors and Platelet Donors

Through March 31st, donors will receive a pair of basketball-themed socks. O Positive and O Negative donors will receive an e-gift card for donating. O donors receive $20 for whole blood donation or $25 for an ALYX/double red donation. Additionally, platelet donors receive a $25 e-gift card anytime they donate.

Want to give back to the community? Skip the socks and MEDIC will donate $5 to the Ronald McDonald House. Appointments can be made online at https://medicblood.org/ , via the MEDIC app, or by calling 865-524-3074.

MEDIC is the primary blood product provider for 25 hospitals in 23 counties including Blount Memorial, Covenant Health System, East TN Children’s Hospital, Tennova Healthcare, and UT Medical Center.

As a reminder, the blood, platelets, and plasma products on the shelves now are what would be used in a trauma event, and it takes at least three days for donated blood to be processed and ready for distribution.

MEDIC is an independent, nonprofit organization. Products donated through MEDIC truly help community members in East TN and Southeastern Kentucky. Products donated through any other collection activity/organization do not stay in East TN or Southeastern Kentucky. Those products are shipped out of the area and nationally.

WEBSITE: https://medicblood.org/

#7/8 VOLS GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS WITH MIDWEEK WIN OVER XAVIER
UT / Athletics

#7/8 VOLS GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS WITH MIDWEEK WIN OVER XAVIER

Posted on March 20, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/8 Tennessee got back in the win column with a 10-2 midweek win over Xavier on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Volunteers (19-3) held the Musketeers (9-12) to just four hits on the night thanks in large part to impressive performances on the mound from starter Zander Sechrist and reliever Kirby Connell.

Sechrist had three strikeouts and allowed just one baserunner in three hitless innings to start the game while Connell surrendered just one hit in 2.1 scoreless frames to pick up his second win of the year.

Cannon Peebles led UT at the plate with a pair of hits, a walk, a run scored and three RBIs after a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning.

Blake Burke also drove in two runs with a no-doubt home run over the right-center field wall to open the scoring in the first inning, marking his eighth long ball of the season and 38th of his career, two shy of tying the program record.

Christian Moore, Dylan Dreiling, Reese Chapman and Charlie Taylor also had RBIs for the Big Orange in the victory.

Connor Misch led Xavier with two hits and an RBI on the night. Jonathan Kelly made his first start of the season for the Musketeers and was stuck with the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in two innings of work.

UP NEXT: Tennessee continues SEC play when it takes on Ole Miss this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Game one of the series is slated for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

STAT OF THE GAME: With Tuesday’s win, the Vols improved to 71-10 in midweek games under head coach Tony Vitello, including a perfect 7-0 mark this year. Since the start of the 2019 season, UT is 61-6 in midweek games.

McMinn County Teen at Center of Endangered Adult Alert Found Safe
Photo courtesy of WVLT

McMinn County Teen at Center of Endangered Adult Alert Found Safe

Posted on March 19, 2024

McMinn County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: A McMinn County teen at the center of an Endangered Adult Alert has been found safe.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had issued the alert Tuesday for 18-year-old Kathryne Stayrook who was last seen Monday, March 18 in Athens.

According to TBI, Kathryne has a medical condition that might have impaired her ability to return safely without assistance.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Endangered Adult Alert Tuesday for a missing 18-year-old girl out of McMinn County.

Kathryne Alexis Stayrook, is 5′6″ and weighs 165 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, TBI said. She was last seen March 18 in Athens, TN, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, boots, gold flower necklace.

According to TBI, Kathryne has a medical condition that may impair her ability to return safely without assistance.

If you see her, call 423-745-3222, or 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Family of Missing Missouri Student Calls-in the Cajun Navy to Organize Search Party

Family of Missing Missouri Student Calls-in the Cajun Navy to Organize Search Party

Posted on March 19, 2024

Nashville, TN (WOKI) The family of missing Missouri student Riley Strain calls-in the United Cajun Navy, a disaster response organization made up of volunteers, for support in the search for their 22-year-old son.

The family held a press conference at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville Tuesday afternoon after asking the United Cajun Navy to help them organize search parties.

The United Cajun Navy was formed after Hurricane Katrina to provide search and rescue resources after natural disasters and in missing persons cases.

United Cajun Navy National Director of Operations David Flagg was at the press conference and said while the help from the public in the search has been welcomed, the search must become more organized and safer.

“Our main focus is to find Riley,” Flagg said. “Our secondary focus is to ensure the safety of the people who are out here searching.” “I would encourage any volunteers who have been here and are searching, to please come under the umbrella of the United Cajun Navy search.”

Flagg said the organization has had a boat on the water searching and plans to keep those efforts going while also putting together ground searches in pairs of two or three within the next few days.

Strain went missing on March 8 after getting kicked out of Luke Bryan’s Broadway bar. His bank card was found on Sunday by civilian searchers near the Cumberland River, and new video released by the Metro Nashville Police Department shows that an officer spoke to Strain on the night of his disappearance and he did not appear in distress.

Anyone who wants to volunteer to help search for Strain can message the United Cajun Army on Facebook or reach out via email at [email protected].

KNECHT COLLECTS ASSOCIATED PRESS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA DISTINCTION
Courtesy / UT Athletics

KNECHT COLLECTS ASSOCIATED PRESS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA DISTINCTION

Posted on March 19, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dalton Knecht of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is an Associated Press First Team All-American, as announced Tuesday afternoon.

The AP is the second of the four organizations—the others are the NABC, The Sporting News and the USBWA—utilized for, in aggregate, determining the consensus All-America teams. Knecht previously claimed unanimous first-team plaudits from The Sporting News.

Fifty-six of the 62 AP voters listed Knecht as a first-team selection and he finished with 298 points in the balloting, both the second-highest totals of any player in the country. Knecht, Purdue’s Zach Edey and North Carolina’s R.J. Davis were in the top 10 on all 62 ballots.

Knecht is the second Tennessee player in the last 41 seasons (1983-2024) to receive AP First Team All-America plaudits, joining Grant Williams, who did so in 2018-19. Dale Ellis (1982-83) and Bernard King (1976-77) are the other Volunteers to earn the recognition.

In his lone year at Tennessee, Knecht is averaging 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 39.7 percent beyond the arc. The Thornton, Colo., native tallied 25.5 points per contest in SEC play, the best conference scoring average of any Division I player in the nation and the second-best mark in the SEC over the last 22 seasons (2002-24).

The SEC Player of the Year, as voted by the 14 head coaches in the leagues and unanimously by the Associated Press, Knecht is among the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy and the 15 individuals on the Wooden Award National Ballot. The fifth-year guard is also one of the five finalists for the Julius Erving Award.

A 6-foot-6, 213-pounder Knecht has scored 20-plus points 16 times this season, including 25-plus in 11 outings, 30-plus in seven, 35-plus in five and 39-plus thrice, with the latter two marks tying the school record for a single campaign.

Two other SEC players claimed AP All-America accolades, as Alabama’s Mark Sears is on the second team and Auburn’s Johni Broome is on the third team. In addition, the Kentucky duo of Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard made the honorable mention list.

Knecht and sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (24-8, 14-4 SEC) begin NCAA Tournament action Thursday at 9:20 p.m. in Charlotte, N.C., where they face No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s (19-13, 12-8 MAAC), live on TNT from Spectrum Center.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.  

2023-24 ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICANS

First Team (First-Team Votes; Points)
Zach Edey, Purdue (62 of 62; 310)
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (56; 298)
R.J. Davis, North Carolina (55; 296)
Jamal Shead, Houston (52; 281)
Tristen Newton, Connecticut (39; 254)

Second Team (First-Team Votes; Points)
Tyler Kolek, Marquette (11, 172)
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton (6, 132)
Mark Sears, Alabama (3, 122)
Kyle Filipowski, Duke (5, 120)
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas (2, 113)

Third Team (First-Team Votes; Points)
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State (5, 109)
Johni Broome, Auburn (4, 91)
Caleb Love, Arizona (3, 88)
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton (0, 70)
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois (1, 54)

Honorable Mentions (alphabetical order; players on multiple ballots)
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Keion Brooks Jr., Washington
Boo Buie, Northwestern
Devin Carter, Providence
Donovan Clingan, Connecticut
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Tucker DeVries, Drake
Enrique Freeman, Akron
P.J. Hall, Clemson
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
David Jones, Memphis
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Great Osobor, Utah State
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Braden Smith, Purdue
Cam Spencer, Connecticut
Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State
Vonterius Woolbright, Western Carolina

Autopsy Shows Knox County kidnapping suspect shot 16 times in Georgia

Autopsy Shows Knox County kidnapping suspect shot 16 times in Georgia

Posted on March 19, 2024

Edward Ahrens, who was a suspect in a Knox County kidnapping, was shot 16 times after police confronted him last month, according to an autopsy report obtained by WVLT News.

Ahrens was the subject of a multi-agency investigation after an 11-year-old went missing out of Knox County. During the investigation, the girl was listed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s endangered child list.

According to the TBI, investigators with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with Catoosa County, GA investigators and East Ridge and GA Police Department officers stopped Ahrens on I-75 just across the Georgia line on February 2nd.

During the stop, Ahrens, who was listed on the Georgia Sex Offender Registry, reportedly rammed several cruisers, giving three KCSO deputies minor injuries, prompting officers to fire on him.

The autopsy report lists Ahren’s cause of death as “multiple gunshot wounds.” The girl was found in his custody inside Ahren’s car, but rescued safely. Story courtesy of WVLT

Cumberland County Man at Center of Silver Alert Found Safe

Cumberland County Man at Center of Silver Alert Found Safe

Posted on March 19, 2024

Cumberland County, TN UPDATE: The Cumberland County man at the center of a TBI Silver Alert issued Tuesday morning has been found safe.

Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say 83-year-old Glen Farr was located in Indiana.

Farr was last seen Monday, March 18 in Crossville, and the Silver Alert had been issued as he has a medical condition that could make it difficult for him to return home safely.

This story has been corrected for Farr’s age and date of disappearance per updated information from the TBI.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert Tuesday morning for a missing 73-year-old man out of Cumberland County.

Glen Farr was last seen on March 13 in Crossville, wearing blue jeans, dark blue shirt, light blue plaid jacket. Farr is 5′8″ and weighs 162 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, TBI said.

Farr may be driving a red 2003 Ford Ranger, TN tag 615BCLV.

Farr also has a medical condition that could make it difficult for him to return home safely, according to the TBI.

Those with information are being asked to call the Cumberland Co Sheriff’s Office at 931-484-6176 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.

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