NASHVILLE, TN (TDOT / WOKI) – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will halt all lane closure activity on interstates and state routes for the Labor Day holiday travel period. Construction crews will stop all lane closure activity at noon on Friday, August 29,until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 2. This will provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists traveling during the Labor Day holiday.
“The Labor Day holiday is always a busy travel time,” said TDOT Commissioner Will Reid. “We want to ensure that the thousands of travelers using Tennessee’s roadways during this period arrive at their destinations quickly and safely without being impeded by road construction delays. We also want to ensure the safety of our HELP Truck drivers who will be working. Please pay attention, move over, and slow down for all first responders. It’s the law!”
While lane closure activity will be stopped, workers will still be on-site in many construction zones, and drivers are urged to obey posted speed limits. Drivers convicted of speeding in work zones where workers are present face a fine of $250 to $500, plus court fees and possibly increased insurance premiums.
Get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras from your desktop or mobile device at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 for statewide travel information. As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
Clinton, TN (WOKI) – Today (Monday), convicted death penalty murderer Sean Shannon Finnegan entered a guilty plea to Rape of a Child regarding two children that were raped in Oak Ridge in 2019.
He also entered a guilty plea to 13 charges of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. For these convictions, Senior Judge Don Ash, appearing specially, sentenced Finnegan to an additional fifty (50) years at 100% in prison along with his mandatory listing and compliance with the requirements of the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry and Community Supervision for Life.
His sentence will run consecutively to the death penalty sentence. The trial against Finnegan was scheduled to begin this morning before he entered his plea. In August 2024, Finnegan was convicted of the gruesome murder of Jennifer Paxton, whose body he stored in a freezer in his Oak Ridge apartment. Finnegan was convicted of eleven (11) counts following a jury trial in that case. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Jennifer Paxton and received an additional forty-five (45) years related to other crimes committed against Jennifer Paxton. Since that time, Finnegan has been housed on death row at Tennessee’s Riverbend Maximum Security Prison.
In all of these crimes, Finnegan had a co-defendant, Rebecca Dishman. Dishman earlier entered a plea in the case of the murder of Jennifer Paxton as well as a plea involving the separate case of raping the two children. She had agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of Finnegan and testified against him in the murder trial. Dishman has since been housed in a Tennessee Department of Correction prison.
Both Dishman and Finnegan had been transferred from the State prisons to the Anderson County Detention Facility in anticipation of them both appearing in the rape trial that was scheduled to start today. Both will be returned to their respective prisons.
In August, 2020, Rebecca Dishman fled the home she shared with Finnegan while seeking domestic violence help and shelter. Her report triggered an investigation by the Oak Ridge Police Department, the 7th Judicial Crime Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney General’s Office. That investigation revealed Paxton’s frozen body and ultimately the evidence that Finnegan and Dishman had raped the two children and video recorded at least portions of the crime.
Upon the entry of today’s plea, District Attorney General Dave Clark remarked, “today’s plea recognizes the additional crimes Sean Finnegan and Rebecca Dishman committed against these young victims. They deserved justice just as Jennifer Paxton did. This also marks the end of a long saga in investigating and prosecuting Finnegan and Dishman that has occupied our office and law enforcement in our community for years.
We have dedicated our professional lives to making days like this happen; to hold the guilty responsible for what they have done and to prevent them from harming anyone else. I am grateful in this immediate case for the work of Assistant District Attorneys Sarah Keith and Meredith Slemp who led the prosecution in these rape cases along with all the police officers, investigators, agents and other staff who worked to bring Finnegan and Dishman to justice.
GATLINBURG, TN —The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) continue to work quickly to repair the road washout on US 441/Newfound Gap Road. The FHWA has awarded the contract to Eclipse Companies, LLC, and the NPS and FHWA held a pre-construction meeting with the contractor on Friday. The contractor will begin mobilizing equipment and supplies this week.
Construction is expected to be completed on or before September 30.
Late on August 1, the park responded to reports of a road washout and landslide event on Newfound Gap Road between mile marker 12 and 13 on the Tennessee side of the park (south of Alum Cave trailhead). The affected area spans approximately 125 feet and has significantly undercut nearly the entire width of the southbound lane. On August 2, NPS and FWHA engineers visited the slide and immediately began project scoping. Both agencies worked quickly to complete the required steps of the design, permitting and contracting processes for construction.
The NPS reopened US441/Newfound Gap Road on the North Carolina side of the park from Oconaluftee to Newfound Gap on August 3. Many visitors have taken advantage of the partial reopening which allows access to Newfound Gap Overlook, Kuwohi and other points of interest. Visitors are reminded to follow detour and closure signs for their own safety.
Planning to visit the park? Visitors may need to adjust their travel plans due to the closure of US441/Newfound Gap Road between Sugarlands and Newfound Gap. However, there is still plenty to explore and enjoy in the Smokies. On the Tennessee side of the park, consider exploring areas like Cosby and Greenbrier for hiking, or take in the scenic views from Foothills Parkway.
Parking areas at popular trailheads may be especially busy while US441/Newfound Gap Road is partially closed. Consider taking a shuttle to your destination: https://go.nps.gov/GRSMShuttles
Two people are injured in a pedestrian crash in Pigeon Forge.
The Pigeon Forge Police Department say it happened Friday night at the intersection of U.S. 441 and East Wears Valley Road.
The two people were trying to cross the northbound lanes and were not inside a crosswalk at the time, both were taken to the and their conditions have not been released.
The driver stayed on the scene and police say it’s the second reported pedestrian-involved crash to happen in Pigeon Forge this month. A woman was hit on August 8th and later died at the hospital.
An investigation is underway after a drove into a Panera Bread restaurant.
Alcoa Police to Panera off Louisville Road Saturday and found a Subaru Outback that had gone through the front doors of the building.
APD says there were no injuries to either of the people in the car or to anyone in the restaurant.
The building was damaged from the crash and the electricity turned off at the restaurant for repairs which kept the restaurant closed yesterday (Sunday).
Three veteran Knoxville Police Department officers have been promoted to advanced supervisory ranks.
Sgt. Michael Dabbelt has been promoted to Lieutenant, while Officers Tim Campbell and Robert Cook have been promoted to Sergeant. Those three have accumulated over 40 years of combined law enforcement experience.
Dabbelt joined the KPD in 2009 and was promoted to Sergeant in 2020. He has spent the majority of his time at the KPD on patrol and most recently served as an investigator within the Office of Professional Standards.
Campbell has served the KPD since 2011. A member of the department’s Special Operations Squad, Campbell has spent the entirety of his career on patrol. Most recently, he served on the Co-Responder Unit, working alongside a behavioral health clinician to respond to calls involving individuals in crisis.
Cook joined the KPD in 2008, spending the early part of his career on patrol. In 2013, he became a detective in the Special Crimes Unit before transferring to the Violent Crimes Unit in 2015. He served in that role until 2022. Most recently, he supported the department’s hiring efforts as the internal background investigator.
“I am excited to promote Michael, Tim and Robert to new supervisory positions,” Chief Paul Noel said. “These three have displayed a commitment to our organizational mission and values and are ready to take on greater responsibility. I am confident they will excel in their new roles and help propel our department forward.”
All three will be assigned to Field Operations squads. The promotions took effect on Sunday, August 24.
Knoxville, TN (KPD / WOKI) – Detectives with the Knoxville Police Department and Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force arrested Travis Dewayne Mitchell Jr. (DOB 08/28/78) on Friday, August 22 on federal child sex abuse charges.
With the support of KPD Special Operations Squad personnel, Mitchell Jr. was taken into custody after he arrived at a business on North Broadway with his 4-year-old child to meet with an undercover officer who was posing as a potential child sex trafficker.
Further investigation revealed that Mitchell had left a 10-year-old child at his home. Detectives went to Mitchell’s residence and found the 10-year-old in the home unattended, with no running water and with no phone or other means of communication. The Department of Children’s Services responded to the scene and removed the children to temporary safe housing.
Mitchell was charged with a violation of USC 18-2422b, online enticement of a minor, and is being held at the Blount County Detention Center. His initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will be held on Monday.
This child rescue operation was the result of an investigation into suspected child sex trafficking by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Knoxville Police Department. KPD is the lead agency of the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Knoxville Police Department is investigating after a video of a Knoxville officer punching a woman started circulating on social media. A representative with the department gave WVLT News a statement Friday.
The video itself shows officers with their hands on multiple suspects. One of the officers, who KPD has not identified, is seen hitting a woman across the head, which knocks her to the ground. Other officers are seen taking another suspect to the ground and slamming him on a cruiser’s hood.
The video, posted Thursday night, had almost 50,000 views as of Friday afternoon.
KPD Communications Manager Scott Erland provided WVLT with a statement Friday, outlining what officers said happened.
According to the statement, the officers stopped a Nissan Altima in the 2600 block of Woodbine Avenue for not coming to a complete stop when leaving the Good Stop gas station nearby. The statement also said officers suspected the car’s windows were tinted too dark to be legal.
“After conducting an initial investigation and back-up officers arrived at the scene, the driver, identified as 18-year-old Zyquise Matthew, was asked to step out of the car,” the statement said. “The driver did not immediately comply with those commands, was removed from the car by officers and eventually cuffed and placed in the back of a patrol cruiser.”
During the arrest, Erland said, another woman arrived on the scene. That woman was 46-year-old Sumer Fletcher.
“The situation escalated and Fletcher was detained following a use of force by on-scene officers,” Erland said.
Matthew and Fletcher were both charged: Matthew with assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and simple possession and Fletcher with assault on a first responder and disorderly conduct.
One of the officers have been placed on reassignment and had his policing powers suspended, Erland said. The Office of Professional Standards is also investigating the arrest.
WVLT News has followed up with a request for more information. The statement in full is below:
The Knoxville Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards is conducting an investigation into an arrest and use of force that happened on Thursday night in the 2600 block of Woodbine Avenue.
Based on a preliminary review of the situation, the following occurred.
At just after 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, 2025, a Knoxville Police officer stopped a Nissan Altima in the 2600 block of Woodbine Avenue for failing to come to a complete stop when leaving the Good Stop gas station and a possible window tint violation.
After conducting an initial investigation and back-up officers arrived at the scene, the driver, identified as 18-year-old Zyquise Matthew, was asked to step out of the car. The driver did not immediately comply with those commands, was removed from the car by officers and eventually cuffed and placed in the back of a patrol cruiser.
While officers were engaged with Matthew, 46-year-old Sumer Fletcher arrived on scene, exited her vehicle and approached officers. The situation escalated and Fletcher was detained following a use of force by on-scene officers.
Matthew was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and simple possession among other charges. Fletcher, who was transported to the UT Medical Center for medical evaluation and has since been released, was charged with assault on a first responder and disorderly conduct.
As required by policy following an instance of use of force, a supervisor responded to the scene to conduct a preliminary on-scene review of the situation. Officers reported to the Lieutenant on scene that they used force to effect the arrest.
One officer has been placed on administrative reassignment with his police powers suspended.
The use of force review process and OPS investigation remain ongoing and in the early stages.
