Knox County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home of United States Representative Tim Burchett over the weekend.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office told WVLT News that they did not have a report on hand but do know Sheriff Tom Spangler sent patrol deputies to the house of Burchett (TN-02) after elected officials received an anonymous email saying a man had killed his wife’s lover after catching the two cheating, tied her up, and left her at Burchett’s home.
Someone sent an anonymous email to Knox County Officials of a man dead and woman tied up at the house of U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett.(WVLT)
Sheriff officials said after a search of the property, nothing was out of order, and believed it to be an attempted swatting.
Burchett told WVLT News Monday that he and his family were not home at the time.
Burchett added that it was rare for them to be out around 5 p.m. on a Saturday, but they elected to go for an early dinner.
”It’s very dangerous, it’s a felony. If somebody ends up getting hurt, it’s going to be on them for the rest of their lives, and I’m not messing around. Take that for whatever you want to take it, but I hold my family very close to me,” said Burchett.
The Congressman said the E-911 director called him to confirm his address which tipped him off to the attempted swatting.
”They’re very serious. This is a time when being an elected official is harder than ever, yet we work for the people, and I think this is a cowardly act and one that is disgusting quite frankly,” said Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay.
Jay was one of about 35 people to receive the email.
The FBI has developed a new database for swatting incidents after a recent increase in the act.
Swatting is a form of harassment to deceive an emergency service provider into sending a police and emergency service response team to another person’s address due to the false reporting of a serious law enforcement emergency. The individuals who engage in this activity use technology, such as caller ID spoofing, social engineering, TTY, and prank calls to make it appear that the emergency call is coming from the victim’s phone. Traditionally, law enforcement has seen swatters directing their actions toward individuals and residences. Increasingly, the FBI sees swatters targeting public places such as airports, schools, and businesses. Another recent trend is so-called celebrity swatting, where the targeted victims are well-known personalities, according to the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. Story courtesy of WVLT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Zakai Zeigler of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a member of the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Midseason Top 10 List, as announced Monday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor, now in its 21st year, recognizes the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the list of 10 candidates.
Joining Zeigler on the list are Max Abmas (Texas), Boo Buie (Northwestern), Dajuan Harris Jr. (Kansas), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Tristen Newton (Connecticut), Jahvon Quinerly (Memphis), Jamal Shead (Houston), Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State) and Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M).
A junior guard for the Volunteers, Zeigler is averaging 10.2 points, 5.1 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season, while shooting 34.0 percent from 3-point range. In SEC play, his averages stand at 14.3 points and 6.3 assists per contest. The Long Island, N.Y., native has scored in double figures seven times in the last nine games, including a career-best 26-point performance Jan. 10 at Mississippi State.
Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, will open Friday and fans can vote for their favorite players. The top player selections from the fan vote will get an additional vote towards making the next round.
This list will be narrowed down to five in late February. The finalists will be selected in late March and presented to Bob Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2024 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five
For more information on the 2024 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com, as well as follow @hoophallu and #CousyAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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.
Greene County, TN (WOKI) A pedestrian dies after a crash on Newport Highway in Greene County Monday morning.
A preliminary crash report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol states a 2005 BMW 325 was heading north on the highway when it crested a hill in the 4900 block.
The report indicates the BMW “was at the crest of a hill when it came across a pedestrian [who] was walking in the middle of the roadway on the double yellow lines”; the individual was hit by the vehicle and died as a result of the injuries.
The THP is working to identify the pedestrian.
The driver of the BMW was cited for driving on a suspended license, no insurance and swapping tags.
Registered to vote? Deadline for March 5, 2023 primary fast approaching in Knox County.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming March 5 Presidential Preference Primary and Knox County Primary elections is fast approaching.
Register in person at either Election Commission office, weekdays, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Download a voter registration form at https://knoxcounty.org/election/pdfs/VRF.pdf and mail it to the Knox County Election Commission. Should you choose this method, make sure the form is postmarked by February 5, 2024.
Knox County has over 299,000 registered voters.
For more information on elections, visit www.knoxvotes.org or call 865-215-2480.
TBI News January 29,2024 At the request of 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler, TBI special agents continue to investigate the circumstances that led to an officer-involved shooting Sunday night involving officers with the Jamestown Police Department.
Preliminary information indicates that just after 8:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Rugby Avenue in Jamestown following a 911 call reporting a man with a gun. When officers arrived, they encountered an armed individual. For reasons still under investigation, an officer fired, striking the person. The individual was transported to an area hospital for treatment. No officers were injured during the incident.
At this time, this investigation remains active and ongoing. TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration. The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters. That decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.
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.
Knoxville Police are investigating a wrong-way, fatal crash on I-640.
It happened early yesterday (Sunday) morning. Officers were called to a multi-car crash on I-640 East near Western Avenue minutes prior to being told about a car traveling in the wrong-direction.
Preliminary investigation says that a Honda sedan was driving west on I-640 East when it hit a Dodge pickup truck head on and was then hit head on by another vehicle.
The man driving the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and passenger in the Dodge truck were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking for a teen they say may be armed with a weapon out of Knoxville.
TBI officials say 16-year-old Donovan Smith has a known medical condition and believed to be without his medication. He was last seen Friday and may be wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans, dark blue shoes and a red beanie hat.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team roared back from a nine-point deficit late in the first half to defeat Vanderbilt, 75-62, Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht scored a game-best 32 points, his third time reaching that number in a four-game span, to lead fifth-ranked Tennessee (15-4, 5-1 SEC) to its 12th win over the in-state foe Commodores in the teams’ last 13 matchups.
After the Volunteers scored six straight points in 2:18 to break a deadlock midway through the opening half, Vanderbilt (5-14, 0-6 SEC) countered with an 18-3 run in 4:45—started by nine consecutive points in 68 seconds—to go up by nine, 35-26, with 1:17 on the clock.
Tennessee scored the last four points of the frame and went into the locker room down by five, 35-30. Three players scored double-digit points in the opening 20 minutes: Knecht (11), Vanderbilt fifth-year guard Ezra Manjon (12) and Vanderbilt senior guard Tyrin Lawrence (10).
Early in the second half, Knecht went on a personal 7-0 run—giving him 20 points in the contest—in just 1:16 to turn a four-point deficit into a three-point lead, 46-43, with 14:01 remaining. After Vanderbilt tied the game, Tennessee went on a 10-0 burst in just 2:58, started with a 3-pointer by Knecht, to go up by double digits for the first time, 58-48, with 8:59 to go.
Soon thereafter, another 3-pointer by Knecht, giving him his fourth 30-point game of the season, put Tennessee ahead by 13, 68-55, with 5:40 left. The Volunteers took their largest lead of the day, 75-60, with 1:24 to play on an alley-oop dunk by junior forward Jonas Aidoo off a pass from junior guard Zakai Zeigler.
A basket by Vanderbilt to close the contest made the final margin 13 points. It marked Tennessee’s third consecutive victory by at least that many.
Knecht, who scored 21 of his points after halftime, finished 13-of-21 from the field to tie his season high for total makes. The Thornton, Colo., native went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, grabbed six rebounds, notched three assists and set a career high with a game-leading three blocks.
Fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi, in his program record-setting 129th start, finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Zeigler logged 10 points and a game-best six assists, while junior guard Jordan Gainey scored 10 points on a 2-of-3 long-range clip and a 4-of-4 free-throw ledger. Aidoo added nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Lawrence paced the Commodores with 21 points on an 8-of-13 clip from the field. He led the team in rebounds (eight) and steals (two), while tying for the top mark in assists (three). Manjon totaled 14 points, as Tennessee held him two on a 1-of-6 ledger in the second half.
The Volunteers finished the night with a 13-4 edge in points off turnovers despite each team having exactly seven giveaways. They also logged a 22-6 margin in second-chance points despite being outrebounded on the offensive glass, 11-10.
In the second half, the victors shot 53.8 percent (14-of-26), including 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range, while Vanderbilt logged respective 33.3 percent (10-of-30) and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) clips.
Tennessee now returns home to Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., where it plays Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against South Carolina, live on SEC Network.
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 • Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 794 victories in his career, 11 behind John Calipari—the lone active DI coach above him—for No. 14 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at a Division I school). • The Volunteers are now 12-1 in their last 13 meetings with Vanderbilt, a stretch that goes back to Jan. 9, 2018. • Tennessee has been ranked in 11 of the aforementioned 13 contests versus the Commodores, posting a 10-1 record in those outings. • The Volunteers’ 130 wins over Vanderbilt are 30 more than they have against any other team, as their 100 against Georgia rank second. • Barnes improved to 30-6 (.833) versus in-state competition during his nine-year Tennessee tenure, including 13-1 (.929) in the last 14 such games and 14-4 (.778) against Vanderbilt. • The Volunteers are now 29-8 (.784) under Barnes while ranked in the top five of the AP Poll. • Tennessee improved to 15-1 on non-Wednesdays this season, with the lone setback a four-point defeat against then-second-ranked Purdue during the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21, 2023, in Honolulu. • At least one Volunteer has scored 20-plus points in nine of the past 11 games, with a total of 11 such performances in that stretch. • Vescovi passed Chris Lofton (2004-08) and Allan Houston (1989-93) for sole possession of the most starts in program history with 129. • Vescovi also passed Tony White (1983-87) for third place on Tennessee’s all-time minutes played leaderboard, now with 4,055. • Saturday marked the ninth time Aidoo has grabbed double-digit rebounds, including the seventh this season. • Knecht has scored at least 20 points in a half on five occasions this year, including in four of the last five affairs. • This is the fifth time this season, including the fourth in five road games, Knecht has scored double-digit points in both halves of a contest. • Knecht is now averaging 31.4 points per game in his five road outings as a Volunteer, posting 24-plus in each contest while shooting 56-of-91 (61.5 percent) from the field and 17-of-36 (47.2 percent) beyond the arc. • The only other SEC player in the last 19 seasons (2005-24) with 24-plus points in five consecutive road games was South Carolina’s Devan Downey from Dec. 30, 2009-Feb. 6, 2010. • Since Downey, the only other Power Six players with five straight 24-point road performances in a single season are Seton Hall’s Myles Powell from Dec. 30, 2019-Feb. 5, 2020, and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield from Nov. 17, 2015-Jan. 18, 2016. • The lone other Division I player with five straight 25-point performances on the road this season is Stetson’s Jalen Blackmon, who did so from Dec. 5, 2023-Jan. 10, 2024. • Knecht is the second SEC player in the last 19 seasons (2005-24) with five straight 25-point games, joining the aforementioned Devan Downey of South Carolina, who had seven in a row from Jan. 9-Feb. 6, 2010. • Only three other Division I players have posted five straight 25-point games this season: Monmouth’s Xander Rice (Jan. 8-20, 2024), Denver’s Tommy Bruner (Dec. 29, 2023-Jan. 13, 2024) and North Carolina’s R.J. Davis (Nov. 24-Dec 16, 2023). • This is the third time Knecht has made 13 field goals in a game, as he also did so on Nov. 29, 2023, at North Carolina and Jan. 16, 2024, against Florida. • Knecht’s prior career high in blocks was two, recorded eight times, including twice this season with the Volunteers and most recently on Nov. 29, 2023, at North Carolina. • Knecht is the ninth SEC player in the last 14 seasons (2010-24) with at least four 30-point games in a single campaign, joining Texas A&M’s Wade Tayor IV (2023-24), Alabama’s Brandon Miller (2022-23), Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. (five in 2021-22), Arkansas’ Mason Jones (nine in 2019-20), Vanderbilt’s Saben Lee (2019-20), Ole Miss’ Breein Tyree (2019-20), Kentucky’s Malik Monk (2016-17), Ole Miss’ Stefan Moody (five in 2015-16). • The last Tennessee player with at least four 30-point performances in a season was Chris Lofton, who had six in 2006-07. • Knecht is the only SEC player in at least the last 19 seasons (2005-24) with 160 points in a five-game stretch. • Knecht is the first Division I player this season with 160 points in a five-game span, while the only individuals to do so in the prior three years (2020-23) are Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, Liberty’s Darius McGhee, Bryant’s Peter Kiss, Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley and Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas. • The last Power Six player to record 160 points in a five-game stretch was Marquette’s Markus Howard in Jan. 2020, with that the lone other occurrence in the last five seasons (2019-24). • Per Elias Sports Bureau, Knecht is the first Division I player to log 32-plus points thrice in a four-game stretch since Erik Reynolds of St. Joseph’s from Feb. 26-March 8, 2023, and the first Power Six player to do so since Iowa’s Luka Garza from Nov. 27-Dec. 11, 2020. • Additionally, Knecht became the first SEC player with 32-plus three times in a four-game span in over 17 years, as Tennessee’s Chris Lofton last did so from Dec. 6-23, 2006.
Gibbs Middle School student in custody after threats of mass violence, Knox County Sheriff’s Office says (courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Gibbs Middle School student is taken into custody Friday afternoon after threats of mass violence.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office officials confirming that the suspect is an 11-year-old sixth-grade student at Gibbs Middle.
As the suspect is a minor, no additional information is currently available.
Officials say this latest incident is unrelated to Thursday’s arrest of three Gibbs Middle School students charged with making hoax calls to Halls Middle School.
