Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Tellico Plains man is sentenced Tuesday, January 23 to more than two decades in prison for rape of a child.
Officials with the District Attorney’s Office say 36-year-old Brandon Wesley Lethco pled guilty to six counts of rape of a child and received a 25-year sentence. The DA says that sentence will be served at 100%.
“There is no place for criminals who abuse the innocence of a child within our community,” said District Attorney Shari Tayloe. “My office will continue to pursue these heinous acts with full force. I want to commend the hard work of my ADAs and law enforcement for bringing justice for this young victim.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Child Services collaborated with the DA to successfully obtain the conviction.
“No child should have to endure the pain of a case like this,” said Tayloe. “While we cannot give back what was taken from any victim, we will continue to seek justice in every case, especially in cases where children are abused.”
Tennessee’s extreme winter weather event over the last week has left 34 dead across the state, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s latest update.
TEMA said the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville is activated at a Level 4 – Elevated to support local requests.
“The extreme cold experienced last week is transitioning out of the state with this week’s forecast including warmer temperatures and rain in all parts of Tennessee starting Monday and extending through Friday,” TEMA said.
The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed 34 weather-related fatalities in the following counties:
Shelby County – 11
Knox County – 7
Madison County – 2
Marshall County – 2
Roane County – 2
Washington County- 2
Anderson County – 1
Carroll County – 1
Coffee County – 1
Henry County – 1
Hickman County – 1
Lauderdale County – 1
Marion County – 1
Van Buren County – 1
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center is investigating at least seven deaths that happened in the past week as possibly weather-related, according to Chief Administrative Officer Chris Thomas.
Thomas confirmed to WVLT News that the following deaths were being listed as possibly weather-related but also said that other secondary factors could have contributed to their deaths.
“Official cause and manner of death will be determined after autopsy and or exam reports are finalized, which could take months due to current caseload,” Thomas said. “Our office is indeed investigating each one of these deaths to determine accurate cause and manner of death. These deaths may have other contributing factors such as natural or drug-related causes as a primary or secondary cause of death.”
The deaths come as East Tennessee saw a massive snow event that dumped several inches of snow on the ground and brought in frigid temperatures. Monday, a week after the snow fell, county and city officials are still working on roads.
Monday, Jan. 15
A box car driver died in a crash on I-75.
A 73-year-old woman was found outside at the bottom of a staircase
Tuesday, Jan. 16
A 50-year-old woman, believed to be unhoused, was found outside
A 71-year-old woman found inside a home with no heat
Friday, Jan. 19
A 47-year-old man found outside, also believed to be unhoused
Sunday, Jan. 21
A 52-year-old man killed in a crash on Rutledge Pike
A 62-year-old woman found inside a car in a driveway.
Thomas and the forensic center are being asked to report possibly weather-related deaths to TEMA. The chief administrator told WVLT News that hypothermia could be a primary factor in many of the above deaths, or could be a secondary factor.
“Broken asphalt pavement resulting in a pothole, dangerous to motorists. Shot with shallow dof. ….recent addition”
Motorists traveling on East Tennessee interstates and state routes should be aware of upcoming road construction activities that will affect traffic.
Beginning on Tuesday morning, January 23, TDOT crews will be patching potholes regionwide. This is being done in response to the damage recent winter weather has done to East Tennessee roadways.
Please keep an eye out for crews working in the following areas:
I-640 East at Rutledge Pike in Knox County
I-40 in Loudon County
I-40 in Roane County
I-75 in Campbell County
SR 63 from Harrogate to LaFollette
Various state routes in Hancock, Hamblen, Hawkins and Greene Counties
This schedule is contingent on favorable weather conditions. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use extreme caution in this area as workers will be present.
As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and “Know Before You Go!” by checking travel conditions before leaving for their destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
Rocky Top, TN (WOKI) UPDATE1/23/24 3:30 p.m.: One person is found dead and an investigation continues following an early morning apartment building fire in Rocky Top.
Multiple crews were called to the 300 block of Main Street just before 4:00 a.m. Tuesday for a major fire. Officials on scene say the building housed five apartments as well as businesses.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is helping to investigate the blaze; they are confirming that one person was found dead inside the building after the fire.
Fire officials say eight people are believed to have been affected by the fire, including the one who died.
The Red Cross is helping those who have been displaced.
ADDITIONAL UPDATE: An investigation is underway after an early morning downtown fire in Rocky Top that leaves several displaced.
Multiple Crews were called to the 300 block of Main Street just before 4 a.m. and found flames coming from the roof and eventually spreading to the exterior before crews put it out.
Officials say the building houses five apartments as well as businesses and that eight people are believed to have been affected by the fire.
The Red Cross is helping those who have been displaced.
No word on injuries and authorities are still asking people to please avoid this area as crews continue to monitor the fire.
UPDATE: An investigation is underway and one person is unaccounted for after an early morning downtown fire in Rocky Top.
Multiple Crews were called to the 300 block of Main Street just before 4 a.m. and found flames coming from the roof and eventually spreading to the exterior before crews .
Officials say the building houses five apartments as well as businesses.
Fire officials say eight people are believed to have been affected by the fire, including the one person who is unaccounted for. The Red Cross is helping those who have been displaced.
No word on injuries and authorities are still asking people to please avoid this area as crews continue to monitor the fire.
ORIGINAL STORY: Anderson County – Multiple Crews are on the scene of an apartment building fire in the 300 block of Main Street and Third Street in Rocky Top this morning.
Fire crews were called to the scene just before 4 a.m. this morning and say there are 5 apartments in the building but it’s not known if anyone is living there and no word on injuries at this time.
Roads are closed in the area while crews battle this fire which was saw smoke and flames coming from inside, out the roof and coming through windows to the exterior earlier but crews have managed to stop that spread and are making progress fighting that blaze.
Flames are greatly reduced but some interior fires are still burning.
Please avoid this area as crews continue to fight that blaze.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team moved to fifth in the nation in each major poll this week.
Tennessee (14-4, 4-1) ascended one spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and two positions in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as announced Monday afternoon.
This is the 50th consecutive week the Volunteers are in the AP Poll, the third-longest streak in the country—Houston is first at 76 and Kansas is second at 55—and 13 weeks longer than the prior program record. Tennessee has earned a top-10 spot in 23 of those 50 weeks, including a top-five nod on six occasions.
This is the sixth straight week Tennessee is in the AP top 10, tied for its seventh-longest streak ever. Four of the eight such occurrences in program history have come under ninth-year head coach Rick Barnes, all since the 2018-19 campaign.
The Volunteers won both their games last week, each at Food City Center, by 19-plus points without trailing for even a second. First, behind a career-high 39 points from fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, they logged an 85-66 victory Tuesday over Florida. They followed that Saturday with a 91-71 triumph over Alabama, as Knecht logged his fourth straight 25-point performance.
Tennessee garnered 1,237 points in the AP Poll balloting, an increase of 90 from last week. In the Coaches Poll, the Volunteers tallied 671 points, a 97-point jump, to move just seven shy of fourth-place Houston.
The Volunteers are once again the highest-ranked team in the SEC, which now has three top-eight teams. They are joined by sixth-ranked Kentucky and No. 8/6 Auburn on both lists. Meanwhile, Alabama is the top four of the “receiving votes” section of both polls and Florida claimed points in the AP Poll.
Following their midweek bye, the Volunteers head to Nashville, Tenn., where they take on Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium, with action slated for 6 p.m. ET, 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.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third time this season, including the second in a row, Dalton Knecht of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is the SEC Player of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office.
Knecht also garnered Naismith Trophy Player of the Week plaudits, as revealed Monday afternoon by the Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards. He is the first Volunteer to claim the accolade since Grant Williams on Jan. 28, 2019.
The 6-foot-6, 213-pounder from Thornton, Colo., averaged 32.0 points per game for the second consecutive week, this time doing so in wire-to-wire home wins over Florida and Alabama. He added 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game to his ledger, while shooting 21-of-43 (48.8 percent) overall, 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) beyond the arc and a perfect 17-of-17 at the line.
Knecht poured in a career-best 39 points in Tuesday’s 85-66 victory over the Gators, finishing 13-of-23 from the field, 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and 9-of-9 at the stripe. Saturday, he logged 25 points in a 91-71 triumph over the Crimson Tide.
With his 39-point showing versus Florida, Knecht became the first SEC player since LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal in February 1991 to log back-to-back 35-point games, per Jared Berson. His 25-point performance against Alabama made him the fifth SEC player in the last 14 seasons (2010-24) to hit that total in four consecutive outings.
Additionally, this week alone, Knecht became the first SEC player to make eight-plus free throws without a miss since LSU’s Tari Eason on Feb. 26 and March 2, 2022.
While no other individual has claimed even two SEC Player of the Week distinctions this season, Knecht is already the first person from any school to earn three in a season since Auburn’s Walker Kessler in 2021-22.
The fifth-year guard, who previously won the award both Nov. 13 and Jan. 15, is also the fourth player in Tennessee history to do so thrice in a single campaign, joining Grant Williams (2018-19), Chris Lofton (2006-07 & 2005-06) and Dyron Nix (1988-89). The league first started giving out the recognition in 1984-85.
In addition, Knecht is the first back-to-back honoree in the league since Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley nearly four years ago, as he won March 2 and Feb. 24, 2020. Two of the last three SEC players to receive the distinction in consecutive weeks are Vols, as the last person to achieve the feat before Quickley was Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield on March 5 and Feb. 26, 2019.
Knecht and Schofield are the only Volunteers in the last 20 years to win back-to-back SEC Player of the Week awards. Just two others—Ron Slay on Feb. 17 and Feb. 10, 2003, and Nix on Dec. 6 and Nov. 29, 1989—have done so in program history. In total, this is the 18th time in head coach Rick Barnes‘ nine seasons a Volunteer has earned SEC Player of the Week accolades.
Knecht and fifth-ranked Tennessee continue play, after a midweek bye, Saturday at 6 p.m. ET against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., 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.
TDEC encouraging residents to test their homes for radon during ‘Radon Action Month’ (Courtesy: TDEC Facebook)
Nashville, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation encourages residents to identify and address radon problems in their homes by providing free radon test kits through the Tennessee Radon Program.
Governor Bill Lee has proclaimed January as “Radon Action Month.”
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is released during the natural decay of uranium, which is found in most rock and soil. It is odorless, invisible and without taste and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
For your free test kit and to learn more, please click here.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville pastor out for his morning jog Monday finds a man lying dead outside of Edgewood Chapel AME Zion Church.
Knoxville Police Department officials say the pastor came across the deceased man around 7:30 a.m. outside of the church located at 2440 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Officers dispatched to the scene determined that the 73-year-old man had been staying at an address on MLK Jr. Avenue earlier this week. KPD says he was last seen around 3:00 p.m. on January 21.
The body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for further investigation and to determine the cause of death. KPD reports no apparent signs of foul play at this time.
Officers called to the 1400 block of Beaumont Avenue after a woman reported her car was taken at gunpoint yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.
Officers spotted the car which eventually crashed at Texas Avenue and Sherman Street and the man, identified as 18 year-old Shaun Sullivan, ran from the car and was caught behind the Emerald Youth facility with a loaded handgun.
Sullivan is charged with carjacking, reckless driving, possession of a firearm with intent to go armed and leaving the scene of an accident.
