6 VOLS DROP ROAD DECISION AT TEXAS A&M

6 VOLS DROP ROAD DECISION AT TEXAS A&M

Posted on February 11, 2024

Courtesy / UT Athletics

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team fell, 85-69, Saturday night at Texas A&M.

Sixth-ranked Tennessee (17-6, 7-3 SEC) could not weather an early long-range shooting onslaught by the Aggies and climb back at Reed Arena. Fifth-year guard Dalton paced the Volunteers with 22 points in the setback, marking his eighth time posting 20-plus in the last nine contests.

Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) made four of its first six 3-pointers, including a 3-of-3 clip from junior guard Wade Taylor IV, to claim a 16-8 advantage after 6:22 of action. After Tennessee got back within three, the Aggies went on a 12-1 run in 3:18 to push their margin to 14, 30-16, with 8:45 on the clock. At that time, they were 7-of-10 beyond the arc, with Taylor a perfect 5-of-5.

The Aggies, who hit eight of their first 12 3-point attempts through 12-and-a-half minutes, took a 42-28 edge into the break. They finished the frame 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) beyond the arc, while Tennessee went 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) at the other end with all three makes from Knecht.

Tennessee went scoreless for the first 4:32 of the second half, missing its first five shots, as Texas A&M extended its advantage to 20 points, 48-28, with 15:33 to go. The home team upped its margin as high as 22, 53-31, with 13:48 remaining.

The Volunteers would not go away and trimmed the deficit down to 12, 66-54, with 6:37 to play after posting six straight points in 73 seconds. They had a chance shortly thereafter to get within single digits, but a 3-pointer by junior guard Zakai Zeigler rimmed out and the visitors never got any closer.

Knecht’s 22 points came on a 6-of-11 ledger from 3-point range, good for the most makes from beyond the arc by a Volunteer this season and tied for his most as a collegian. He added a team-best seven rebounds, as well as two blocks, despite playing only 28 minutes due to foul trouble.

Zeigler finished with 15 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds, a team-best six assists and a game-leading four steals. The Long Island, N.Y., native played all 40 minutes, becoming the first Tennessee player to do so in 2023-24.

Graduate student guard Tyrece Radford led all scorers with 27 points for the Aggies, adding five rebounds and five assists. Taylor totaled 25 points and a game-high seven assists, finishing 5-of-11 from deep after connecting on each of his first five attempts.

Sophomore forward Solomon Washington notched 11 points, while senior forward Andersson Garcia scored six points and pulled down 17 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end, to pace all players.

The Volunteers had a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers and an 18-4 ledger in fast-break points. They also limited the Aggies to just three 3-point makes on their final 16 tries, but the hot start proved too much to overcome.

Tennessee now heads to Fayetteville, Ark., where it plays Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET against Arkansas, live on ESPN2 from Bud Walton Arena.

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.  

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• The Volunteers are now 69-22 (.758) across 91 outings as an AP top-10 team in head coach Rick Barnes‘ nine-year tenure, all in the past seven seasons.
• Tennessee’s last defeat by double digits came on Feb. 18, 2023, a 66-54 result at Kentucky, while its last setback by 15-plus was on Jan. 15, 2022, a 107-79 decision at Kentucky.
• At least one Volunteer has scored 20-plus points in 13 of the past 15 games, with a total of 16 such performances in that stretch.
• At the 12:22 mark of the first half, Knecht converted Tennessee’s first four-point play in over a year, as the last came on Feb. 4, 2023, by Santiago Vescovi against Auburn.
• Garcia became the first SEC player with 15-plus rebounds against Tennessee since Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams had 16 on Feb. 19, 2022, while his 17 boards marked the most by a Volunteer foe in league play since LSU’s Tasmin Mitchell grabbed that many on Feb. 4, 2010.
• The last player with nine offensive rebounds versus Tennessee was Georgia Tech’s Ben Lammers on Dec. 3, 2016.
• The Volunteers’ 14-point halftime deficit marked their second-largest of the season, trailing only a 22-point margin, 61-39, at North Carolina on Nov. 29, 2023.
• Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James recorded a season-high three blocks, surpassing his prior best of two, set on Nov. 29, 2023, at North Carolina.
• Knecht is the seventh SEC player in the last 13 seasons (2011-24) to score 16-plus points in nine straight league games, joining LSU’s Cameron Thomas (2020-21), Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley (2019-20), Georgia’s J.J. Frazier (2016-17), South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell (2016-17), Kentucky’s Jamal Murray (2015-16) and LSU’s Ben Simmons (2015-16).
• The last Volunteer to score 20-plus points eight times in a nine-game span was Kevin Punter Jr., who did so 10 times in an 11-contest stretch from Nov. 22, 2015-Jan. 6, 2016.
• The only other time Knecht has made six 3-pointers as a collegian was on Jan. 14, 2023, when he went 6-of-13 at Portland State during his tenure at Northern Colorado.
• Zeigler became the first Volunteer to play all 40 minutes of a contest since he did so himself on Jan. 24, 2023, at Mississippi State.

Courtesy / UT Athletics
#6 VOLS DROP ROAD DECISION AT TEXAS A&M

#6 VOLS DROP ROAD DECISION AT TEXAS A&M

Posted on February 11, 2024

Courtesy / UT Athletics

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team fell, 85-69, Saturday night at Texas A&M.

Sixth-ranked Tennessee (17-6, 7-3 SEC) could not weather an early long-range shooting onslaught by the Aggies and climb back at Reed Arena. Fifth-year guard Dalton paced the Volunteers with 22 points in the setback, marking his eighth time posting 20-plus in the last nine contests.

Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) made four of its first six 3-pointers, including a 3-of-3 clip from junior guard Wade Taylor IV, to claim a 16-8 advantage after 6:22 of action. After Tennessee got back within three, the Aggies went on a 12-1 run in 3:18 to push their margin to 14, 30-16, with 8:45 on the clock. At that time, they were 7-of-10 beyond the arc, with Taylor a perfect 5-of-5.

The Aggies, who hit eight of their first 12 3-point attempts through 12-and-a-half minutes, took a 42-28 edge into the break. They finished the frame 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) beyond the arc, while Tennessee went 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) at the other end with all three makes from Knecht.

Tennessee went scoreless for the first 4:32 of the second half, missing its first five shots, as Texas A&M extended its advantage to 20 points, 48-28, with 15:33 to go. The home team upped its margin as high as 22, 53-31, with 13:48 remaining.

The Volunteers would not go away and trimmed the deficit down to 12, 66-54, with 6:37 to play after posting six straight points in 73 seconds. They had a chance shortly thereafter to get within single digits, but a 3-pointer by junior guard Zakai Zeigler rimmed out and the visitors never got any closer.

Knecht’s 22 points came on a 6-of-11 ledger from 3-point range, good for the most makes from beyond the arc by a Volunteer this season and tied for his most as a collegian. He added a team-best seven rebounds, as well as two blocks, despite playing only 28 minutes due to foul trouble.

Zeigler finished with 15 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds, a team-best six assists and a game-leading four steals. The Long Island, N.Y., native played all 40 minutes, becoming the first Tennessee player to do so in 2023-24.

Graduate student guard Tyrece Radford led all scorers with 27 points for the Aggies, adding five rebounds and five assists. Taylor totaled 25 points and a game-high seven assists, finishing 5-of-11 from deep after connecting on each of his first five attempts.

Sophomore forward Solomon Washington notched 11 points, while senior forward Andersson Garcia scored six points and pulled down 17 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end, to pace all players.

The Volunteers had a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers and an 18-4 ledger in fast-break points. They also limited the Aggies to just three 3-point makes on their final 16 tries, but the hot start proved too much to overcome.

Tennessee now heads to Fayetteville, Ark., where it plays Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET against Arkansas, live on ESPN2 from Bud Walton Arena.

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.  

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• The Volunteers are now 69-22 (.758) across 91 outings as an AP top-10 team in head coach Rick Barnes‘ nine-year tenure, all in the past seven seasons.
• Tennessee’s last defeat by double digits came on Feb. 18, 2023, a 66-54 result at Kentucky, while its last setback by 15-plus was on Jan. 15, 2022, a 107-79 decision at Kentucky.
• At least one Volunteer has scored 20-plus points in 13 of the past 15 games, with a total of 16 such performances in that stretch.
• At the 12:22 mark of the first half, Knecht converted Tennessee’s first four-point play in over a year, as the last came on Feb. 4, 2023, by Santiago Vescovi against Auburn.
• Garcia became the first SEC player with 15-plus rebounds against Tennessee since Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams had 16 on Feb. 19, 2022, while his 17 boards marked the most by a Volunteer foe in league play since LSU’s Tasmin Mitchell grabbed that many on Feb. 4, 2010.
• The last player with nine offensive rebounds versus Tennessee was Georgia Tech’s Ben Lammers on Dec. 3, 2016.
• The Volunteers’ 14-point halftime deficit marked their second-largest of the season, trailing only a 22-point margin, 61-39, at North Carolina on Nov. 29, 2023.
• Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James recorded a season-high three blocks, surpassing his prior best of two, set on Nov. 29, 2023, at North Carolina.
• Knecht is the seventh SEC player in the last 13 seasons (2011-24) to score 16-plus points in nine straight league games, joining LSU’s Cameron Thomas (2020-21), Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley (2019-20), Georgia’s J.J. Frazier (2016-17), South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell (2016-17), Kentucky’s Jamal Murray (2015-16) and LSU’s Ben Simmons (2015-16).
• The last Volunteer to score 20-plus points eight times in a nine-game span was Kevin Punter Jr., who did so 10 times in an 11-contest stretch from Nov. 22, 2015-Jan. 6, 2016.
• The only other time Knecht has made six 3-pointers as a collegian was on Jan. 14, 2023, when he went 6-of-13 at Portland State during his tenure at Northern Colorado.
• Zeigler became the first Volunteer to play all 40 minutes of a contest since he did so himself on Jan. 24, 2023, at Mississippi State.

Courtesy / UT Athletics
RODRIGUEZ MAGIC, STRONG OFFENSE CARRIES #2 TENNESSEE TO SERIES WIN OVER #19 BAYLOR

RODRIGUEZ MAGIC, STRONG OFFENSE CARRIES #2 TENNESSEE TO SERIES WIN OVER #19 BAYLOR

Posted on February 10, 2024

Courtesy / UT Athletics

Game Recap: Softball | February 10, 2024

WACO, Texas – The second-ranked Lady Vols wasted no time in winning their first series of the 2024 campaign as they won both games of Friday’s doubleheader against Baylor at Getterman Stadium. UT took game one, 3-2, before winning game two, 9-1, in six innings.

Tennessee (3-0) needed to come from behind in game one – getting a little last-out magic from Texas native Destiny Rodriguez – before taking an early lead in game two and extending it throughout the night as UT run-ruled the Bears to claim the series victory.

GAME 1 – #2 Tennessee 3 – #19 Baylor 2
Baylor (0-1) struck first in the third inning as Emily Hott roped a double through the left side of the infield to score McKenzie Wilson who reached on an error earlier in the frame.

Tennessee senior Ryleigh White got the start in the circle and threw two scoreless innings and allowed just a pair of hits. She gave way to sophomore Karlyn Pickens who finished out the game, tossing five innings.

The righty allowed two runs – one earned – and surrendered a solo home run to Hott in the fifth inning that put Baylor up 2-0. Pickens finished the night with five strikeouts.

UT got a run back in the sixth courtesy of a McKenna Gibson single to right that scored Rylie West. West reached base on a double down the left-field line that broke up a Baylor no-hitter.

Down to its final out of the game, Tennessee called on Destiny Rodriguez to pinch hit. The sophomore crushed the first pitch she saw, depositing it over the wall in straightaway center field. The two-run homer put the Lady Vols up 3-2 and was the first career home run for the Live Oak, Texas, native.

Pickens closed out Baylor in the bottom of the seventh as Tennessee completed to comeback win.

GAME 2 – #2 Tennessee 9 – #19 Baylor 1
Tennessee did not wait long to get on the board in game two, as Kiki Milloy took advantage of a wild pitch and an error to score UT’s first run of the game. Milloy reached base on a leadoff walk before stealing second. She advanced to third on the wild pitch and came home on a throwing error.

The Bears tied up the game in the home half of the inning as Sydney Collazos knocked a single to center to drive in Emily Hott.

Milloy made history in the third as she hit her 57th career home run – tying her with Meghan Gregg for most all-time in Tennessee history. Milloy’s solo shot put UT up 2-1. The Lady Vols went back-to-back as Rylie West followed up with a solo homer of her own, extending Tennessee’s lead to two.

UT pushed across one run in the fourth before blowing the game open as it scored five times in the sixth.

Charli Orsini got the start in the circle in game two, tossing 1.2 innings. The sophomore allowed one run on three hits with a strikeout and a walk. Payton Gottshall came on in relief and finished out the night, throwing 4.1 innings.

The graduate struck out six, walked none and gave up just a trio of hits as she locked down the Bears. Gottshall earned the win and is now 2-0 after three games.

UP NEXT
Tennessee and Baylor close out the three-game set on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or fans can listen live to Hunter King on the radio broadcast at UTSports.com or through the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.

Courtesy / UT Athletics
Justin Timberlake to Perform in Knoxville in November

Justin Timberlake to Perform in Knoxville in November

Posted on February 9, 2024
General online sales begin Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m.

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Justin Timberlake’s hugely successful “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour” is coming to Knoxville!

Live Nation making the announcement Friday that 15 additional shows, spanning all new cities including Knoxville, have been added to the touring schedule.

Timberlake will perform at the Thompson Boling Arena at Food City Center on Tuesday, November 19.

This will be Timberlake’s first tour in five years. Music from his forthcoming new album “Everything I Thought It Was” will be featured as well as top hits from throughout the years.

Presale tickets for the newly announced dates will be available on Monday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. through Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. Presale tickets will be available for Citi and Verizon customers.

General online sales will begin on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. on Justin Timberlake’s website or through ticketmaster.

Knoxville Police Identify Suspect in Standoff at Pine Ridge Apartments

Knoxville Police Identify Suspect in Standoff at Pine Ridge Apartments

Posted on February 9, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police have identified the suspect taken into custody Thursday afternoon following a standoff with law enforcement at the Pine Ridge Apartments in North Knoxville.

Knoxville Police Department officials say 26-year-old Malik Griffin was wanted on charges of aggravated robbery and especially aggravated kidnapping among others stemming from a robbery that happened at an apartment on Lippencott Street in the early morning hours of Monday, February, 5.

KPD says detectives are continuing to investigate the potential that Griffin was involved in other recent events that are the subject of open investigations.

TBI Agents Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Blount County

TBI Agents Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Blount County

Posted on February 9, 2024

At the request of 5th Judicial District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday evening involving deputies with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.

Preliminary information indicates that just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, deputies with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on an SUV in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville. The driver, identified as Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr. (DOB: 1/12/82), would not cooperate with deputies and refused to get out of the vehicle. A taser was deployed with no effect. At some point during the encounter, DeHart produced a gun and fired shots, striking both deputies. At least one of the deputies returned fire. One deputy was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. The other deputy was also transported with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. DeHart drove away from the scene.

Early Friday morning, TBI agents obtained warrants charging Kenneth DeHart with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Attempted First Degree Murder, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Weapon. A statewide Blue Alert was issued for DeHart, and he was added to the TBI Most Wanted list. He has not been located and is the subject of a search by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing, as TBI agents continue to gather any and all relevant evidence, interviews, and information. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration.  

The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department to answer as it sees fit.

LADY VOLS FALL AT ALABAMA, 72-56

LADY VOLS FALL AT ALABAMA, 72-56

Posted on February 9, 2024

Courtesy / UT Athletics

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | February 08, 2024

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Lady Vols suffered a tough shooting night on the road Thursday, falling in SEC play to Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, 72-56.

Fifth-year seniors Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell were the leading scorers for Tennessee (14-8, 7-3 SEC) with 13 and nine, respectively. Fellow fifth-year Tamari Key also had a productive night, turning in nine points and a team-leading seven rebounds.

Aaliyah Nye was the top producer for Alabama (19-6, 6-4 SEC) with 23 points. Jessica Timmons was also in double figures with 14, and Loyal McQueen finished with 10.

Key won the tip, and a jumper by Jackson put Tennessee on the board first. Back-to-back buckets gave Alabama a 4-2 lead by the 7:43 mark, but Sara Puckett responded with a trey to set off an 8-2 Lady Vol run that had Tennessee on top by four at the media break. The Crimson Tide rallied back to tie the game at 13-all before Nye sank a three with 32 seconds left in the quarter, and UA closed out the first frame with a 16-14 advantage.

Nye led off the second period with another three to stretch Alabama’s lead to five. Key hit a layup on the next possession, but an 8-3 run capped by a Del’Janae Williams 3-pointer gave Alabama an eight-point cushion with 5:50 left in the half. Puckett countered with a three of her own a minute later, and Jackson and Kaiya Wynn followed it up with layups to pull UT within one. Timmons ended a three-minute Crimson Tide scoring drought with a jumper at the 1:55 mark, but Jackson once again cut it to one on the other end. Timmons scored the last points of the half from the free-throw line, hitting the first of a pair to set the halftime score at 30-28.

A fast-break layup by Nye on UA’s first possession of the second half extended the lead to four. Jackson countered with a layup, but UT then went cold from the field as the Crimson Tide outscored the Lady Vols 12-2 over a three-minute span to lead 44-32 by the midway point. Karoline Striplin ended the skid with a jumper to move UT within 10, but Nye drained her third three of the game to stretch UA’s lead to 13 with 4:14 left in the third. The Lady Vols hung within 13 into the final minute, but a three-pointer by McQueen just before the buzzer sent the game into the final stanza with Alabama up 58-42.

Puckett scored the first points of the fourth quarter with a jumper, and Powell and Key each added a pair of layups as UT rattled off 10 unanswered points to whittle Alabama’s advantage down to six and force a UA timeout with 6:47 to play. Essence Cody hit UA’s first point of the quarter from the line at the 5:38 mark, and Nye followed it with a 10-footer to extend the Crimson Tide’s lead to nine with 5:00 left in the game. Two points from Powell pulled UT back within seven with just over four minutes remaining, but Alabama closed out the contest with an 11-2 run to seal the victory.

UP NEXT: UT will close the regular season with four of its final six games in the friendly confines of Food City Center. The first of those four is a 7 p.m. ET contest on Monday vs. Arkansas. That match-up, UT’s Play4Kay “pink game,” will be televised by the SEC Network and broadcast on Lady Vol Radio Network stations and via live stream on UTSports.com.

CLOSER TO 1,000: Rickea Jackson and Tamari Key finished with 13 and nine points, respectively, vs. Alabama, drawing them nearer to milestones. Key moved to within 27 of scoring 1,000 points in her career at UT, while Jackson closed the gap to 71 from tallying 1K in her second season on Rocky Top. They can become the 49th and 50th Lady Vols to score that many points as Lady Vols.

Courtesy / UT Athletics
Two Arrested in Connection to Death of Blount County Deputy, Suspect Search Continues

Two Arrested in Connection to Death of Blount County Deputy, Suspect Search Continues

Posted on February 9, 2024

2/10/24 UPDATE: MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – One deputy with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office was killed and another was injured in Maryville while conducting a traffic stop Thursday just before 8:30 p.m., according to officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

TBI said the suspect, identified as Kenneth DeHart, would not cooperate with deputies and refused to get out of the vehicle. TBI reported that responders used a stun device during the stop, but it had no effect. At some point during the stop, Kenneth DeHart pulled a gun and fired shots, hitting both deputies, according to the TBI.

The suspect’s brother, Marcus Erving DeHart, was arrested, according to District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, and charged with accessory after the fact.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office told WVLT News Kenneth DeHart’s girlfriend, Carrie Matthews, was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact.

Matthews was arrested in connection to the death of deputy Greg McCowan.
Matthews was arrested in connection to the death of deputy Greg McCowan.(SCSO)

Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said the deputies pulled Kenneth DeHart over for erratic driving and failure to maintain a lane.

Deputy Greg McCowan was killed and Deputy Shelby Eggers was shot multiple times in the leg during the stop, officials said, adding that Deputy Eggers was released from the hospital to recover at home.

The shooting happened in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville, and multiple agencies are still on the lookout for Kenneth DeHart.

“[Kenneth] DeHart is considered armed and dangerous. If you see [Kenneth] DeHart, do not approach him. Call 911 immediately if you encounter him,” officials said.

Warrants were issued for Kenneth DeHart for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm with no bond, according to Berrong. Kenneth DeHart also has a criminal history. Officials with the Tennessee Department of Corrections confirmed that Kenneth Dehart was previously sentenced for felony aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has also issued a Blue Alert and added Kenneth DeHart to the TBI’s Most Wanted list.

“At this time, there is no known clothing description and no known direction of travel,” TBI officials said.

A tip line was set up for anyone with information on where the suspect might be. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone in the Wildwood area to check outdoor security or doorbell cameras for any suspicious activity or people from overnight Thursday evening. Those with information should call 865-981-7125.

An additional number to call with information on the investigation is 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Several people and agencies, including the TBI and Smith & Wesson CEO Mark Smith, are offering rewards for information.

Copyright 2024 WVLT. All rights reserved.

Second Update: One deputy is killed and another is injured in Blount County while conducting a traffic stop.The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it happened last (Thursday) night just before 8:30 p.m. and have issued a Blue Alert and added DeHart to the TBI’s Most Wanted list.

TBI says the suspect, identified as 42 year-old Kenneth DeHart, would not cooperate with deputies and refused to get out of the vehicle. TBI says that responders used a stun device during the stop, but it had no effect. At some point during the stop, DeHart pulled a gun and fired shots, hitting both deputies.

Deputy Greg McCowan was killed and Deputy Shelby Eggers, who returned fire, was injured in the shooting and has been released from the hospital to recover at home.

The shooting happened in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville, and multiple agencies are still on the lookout for DeHart who is considered armed and dangerous.

If you see him, do not approach him. Call 911 immediately.

“At this time, there is no known clothing description and no known direction of travel,” TBI officials said.

Warrants were issued for DeHart for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm with no bond.

Dehart was previously sentenced for felony aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later issued a Blue Alert and added DeHart to the TBI’s Most Wanted list.

A tip line was set up for anyone with information on where the suspect might be. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office asked for anyone who lives in the Wildwood area to check outdoor security or doorbell cameras for any suspicious activity or people from overnight Thursday evening. Those with information should call 865-981-7125.

An additional number to call with information on the investigation is 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell issued a $10,000 reward and the TBI also announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to DeHart’s arrest.

Sheriff Berrong says Deputy McCowan was always smiling and friendly to everyone and was awarded the Sheriff’s Office Lifesaving commendation in April 2021 for his part in saving the life of a man trapped in a burning vehicle. He was an EMR and was also recently accepted on the Sheriff’s Crisis Negotiations team and was excited to put his recent certification to use. McCowan graduated from the police academy in October of 2020.

UPDATED STORY: Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong is asking anyone who lives in the Wildwood area who may have outdoor security or doorbell camera video systems to please check your system this morning for video or photos of possible suspicious persons or activity that may have occurred near your resident overnight.

This is in regard to the officer-involved shooting and the death of BCSO Deputy Greg McCowan and injury of Deputy Shelby Eggers that happened last (Thursday) night.

If anyone has any activity on their systems that may be of help in this investigation, please call 865-981-7125.

Original STORY:

A Blount County Deputy is shot and killed and another deputy is injured during a traffic stop and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Blue Alert is Issued.

Deputy Greg McCowan was shot and killed and the other deputy, identifed as Shelby Eggers, who reportedly returned fire, has been released from the hospital. She was shot in the leg. It’s unknown if the suspect was injured.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Blue Alert for 42 year-old Kenneth DeHart who is suspected of shooting the deputies. He is considered armed and dangerous and was last seen in the Wildwood area.

The shooting happened last (Thursday) night in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville. WVLT is reporting that Porter Elementary School is closed today as the hunt for Dehart continues. Sevierville Road between Keeble Road and Destiny Lane has re-opened.

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong asking for your help to find him and says you should not approach him but call 9 1 1 with any information. During a press conference earlier today, standing alongside several law enforcement officials, including Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, Berrong says they are heart-broken this has happened.

Deputy Greg McCowan graduated from the police academy in October of 2020 and has been accommodated with the Lifesaving Award for saving a man from a burning car.

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong asking for your help to find him and says you should not approach him but call 9 1 1 with any information. During a press conference earlier today, standing alongside several law enforcement officials, including Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, Berrong says they are heart-broken this has happened.

If you have any information, please call 1-800-TBI FIND.

Warrants charging DeHart with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Attempted First Degree Murder, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Weapon have been obtained by TBI.

Blount County’s Mayor if offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and the TBI also offering a $2,500 reward.

Suspect Taken into Custody after Standoff in North Knoxville, Police Say

Suspect Taken into Custody after Standoff in North Knoxville, Police Say

Posted on February 8, 2024
Police working standoff in North Knoxville. (Courtesy: WVLT)

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A suspect is in custody Thursday afternoon following a standoff with law enforcement in North Knoxville.

Knoxville Police Department officials say officers responded to the 4700 block of Schubert Road to take a man wanted for multiple outstanding felony warrants into custody at an apartment there.

KPD says the suspect was taken into custody just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday without incident.

This is a developing story.

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