The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office says an investigation has resulted in a couple being indicted for theft from the Anderson County Rescue Squad.
Alex and Jessica Ridenour served as volunteers for the rescue squad until they resigned in May 2022.
While serving as volunteers, investigators determined they stole rescue squad funds totaling almost $40,000 between May 2021 and April 2022.
They also wrote 17 unauthorized checks from the rescue squad bank account to Jessica totaling over $35,000 and five unauthorized checks to Alex totaling $4,300.
They were indicted on multiple counts including theft of property, forgery and conspiracy to commit theft of property over $10,000.
An 11-year-old student is charged for threat of mass violence after an investigation into an incident at Vine Middle School.
A Knoxville Police Department School Resource Officer responded to Vine Middle School to investigate a report that a male student had made a school-shooting threat yesterday (Tuesday).
Knox County School Security and KPD Violent Crimes Unit detectives went to the student’s home and no weapons were found and detectives were told that the student did not have access to weapons.
After consulting with the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, the student was charged for making a threat of mass violence and was taken into custody.
The threat is not believed to be related to the other school-related threats circulating on social media.
Oak Ridge, TN (WOKI) Oak Ridge High School students will honor first responders Wednesday during a ceremony memorializing the tragic events of 9/11.
The ceremony gets underway at 8:00 a.m. in the bus loop area of the school located at 135 Providence Road in Oak Ridge.
This is the 22nd year Oak Ridge High School students will commemorate the somber occasion.
The complete agenda for this year’s September 11 Memorial Service is as follows:
8:10- Student Council and ROTC report to the 9/11 Memorial Site 8:10- First Responders arrive 8:20- Speech by Student Council Executives 8:30- Flag ceremony and playing of taps followed by presentation of memorial wreath 8:35- Moment of silence and thank you cards distributed to first responders.
This is the 22nd year Oak Ridge High School students will commemorate the somber occasion. (Courtesy: exploreoakridge.com)
UPDATE: (9/10/24 9:48 p.m.) Today (Tuesday), the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Crimes Unit responded to multiple reports of school threats-
The first threat came this morning at approximately 0815 from Carter Middle School. It involved a student threatening to shoot up the school. It resulted in the arrest of a 13-year-old, 8th-grade student.
While that investigation was ongoing, the Juvenile Crimes Unit was aware of a second threat at Halls Middle School. That investigation is believed to be connected to another ongoing investigation.
The third response this morning was to Halls High School. That threat was also determined to be a repost of the original threat from social media.
The fourth response was to Gibbs High School, which involved a different school threat on social media. This investigation is also ongoing.
The fifth response today by the Juvenile Crimes Unit involved yet another post to social media. This investigation resulted in the arrest of a 12-year-old, 7th-grade West Valley Middle School student for threats made online.
The 6th response was a bomb threat at Halls Middle School. No arrest has been made in that investigation.
Today, the 7th school threat was at Hardin Valley Academy. That investigation is ongoing. – Kimberly Glenn, KCSO Spokesperson
Original story: Knoxville, TN (WOKI) On the heels of back-to-back threats Friday at Halls High School comes word Tuesday afternoon of yet another investigation into an online threat to area schools.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say its juvenile crimes unit is actively investigating an online threat that has been circulating naming numerous schools; the release to media did not provide the names of schools targeted in the threat.
According to data from District Attorney Charme Allen’s office, with just over a month into Knox County’s 2024-’25 school year, ten people are facing charges related to school threats.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler doubling-down on his promise Tuesday to “charge those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.”
KCSO officials are asking anyone with information that may assist them in their ongoing investigations to please call 865-215-2243.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) “Hot work” being conducted on one level of Neyland Stadium is reportedly to blame for a small trash fire Tuesday morning at the venue.
Knoxville Fire Department officials say crews responded around 10:30 extinguishing the fire quickly which had broken out in a mechanical room near Gate 15.
KFD reports the room suffered some smoke and fire damage, but no mechanical equipment was damaged in the incident.
No injuries were reported.
Knoxville Fire Department puts out trash fire at Neyland Stadium. (Courtesy: KFD)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach and director of track & field Duane Ross announced the hiring of Devin West as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach in the fall of 2024.
West comes to Knoxville with more than 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level. He most recently served as an assistant coach at UCLA during the 2023-24 campaign after two seasons coaching sprints and hurdles with the University of Georgia men’s and women’s track programs.
West was named an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles at Georgia in July 2021 by Director of Track and Field Caryl Smith Gilbert, giving West a second stint with the Bulldogs. While in The Peach State, West helped coach Elija Godwin to national championships at the 2023 NCAA Indoor meet; Godwin also earned a gold and bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Track and Field Championships, as well as his first SEC individual championship in the 400m at the 2023 indoor conference meet with West’s guidance.
West, a native of Berkeley, Calif., also spent 2015-17 at Georgia as the recruiting coordinator and sprints assistant and arrived back in Athens during the 2021 summer after overseeing the sprints and hurdles program at Air Force for the 2020-21 academic year. Starting his collegiate athletic career on both the football and track teams at St. Mary’s College and then graduating from in-state Kennesaw State University, West has both recruited and coached some of the country’s best during stints at several Power 5 programs. He has signed and instructed a variety of Olympians, All-Americans, NCAA champions, conference champions and school record holders during his stops at Texas, Florida State, Arizona State, Miami, Texas Tech and others.
West guided Michelle Roca to an Academy record of 1:00.01 in the 400-meter hurdles. In fact, Air Force completed 2021 with 11 improvements to the school’s all-time record books in the sprints, hurdles and relays. West returned to the Academy coaching staff in August 2020 to begin his second stint as an assistant coach for the Falcons. West, who previously served as an assistant coach on the Falcons’ 2010-11 staff, brought a wealth of experience back to the Air Force sprints and hurdles program, following coaching stints at several Power 5 programs.
Air Force thrived under West during his first stop in 2010-11. The men’s 4x400m indoor relay of Manny Smith, Anthony Delgado, Cory Engel and Chris Severino bought home the program’s first-ever Mountain West title in that event, while Bryce Bergman accounted for the Academy’s first conference championship in the 400m hurdles. Under his guidance, the Falcons also claimed four all-Mountain West accolades and made seven improvements to the Academy’s all-time standings, including 400m hurdle times by Emily Cotharn and Rachel Thomas that were previously the two fastest marks in program history.
Throughout his 16-year career, West has assisted with the coaching of six Olympians, 54 All-Americans, three NCAA champions, 41 conference champions and more than 70 school record-holders.
After leaving the Academy in 2011, West gained experience at several of the nation’s major Power 5 programs, where he developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the sport. He signed five No. 1-ranked U.S. High School student-athletes and three No. 1-ranked World Junior student-athletes, while also accounting for four Top-10 recruiting classes (Georgia, Texas Tech, Miami and Florida State).
During his stint at Texas, West assisted head coach Edrick Floreal in coaching the men’s and women’s sprints and hurdles program – a group that included two program record holders (Jonathon Jones in the 400m, Micaiah Harris in the 200m) and 10 All-Americans. He also saw both the men and women place within the top 10 of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and the women’s team sweep the indoor and outdoor titles at the Big 12 Championships that year. In addition, West also assisted Floreal in coaching the 2019 USA Track and Field 100m champion, Teahna Daniels.
Prior to his time in Austin, West served as an associate head coach at Arizona State University in 2018. During his stop with the Sun Devils, he helped Alethia Marrero run the second-fastest 800m time in ASU history, finish second at the PAC-12 Championships and earn second-team All-America honors. With West on the staff, Arizona State’s women finished the year ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Top 25 and had a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
As previously mentioned, West spent two years as the recruiting coordinator and sprints coach for the Bulldogs (2015-17), where he was part of some of the most successful seasons for the women in school history. The Bulldogs finished a program-best second at the both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2017, after finishing third at both meets during his first season. He also assisted in the coaching of breakout sophomore Kendal Williams, who earned first-team All-America honors in the 60m, and oversaw a men’s sprint squad that tallied more than one-third of Georgia’s point total at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
West also spent time on the coaching staffs at Texas Tech University (2014-15), the University of Miami (2013-14) and Florida State University (2011-13).
During his one season with the Red Raiders, he helped the men finish second at the Big 12 Championships and ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while the women finished third at the conference meet and earned a top-20 finish at the national meet. While at Miami, West coached the men’s 4x100m relay to its first regional appearance in four years and helped Artie Burns (currently with the Chicago Bears) win the ACC title and claim second-team All-America honors in the 60m hurdles. In his time with the Seminoles, he assisted the men’s 4x100m relay team to All-America honors and helped Dentarius Locke and James Harris claim berths to the NCAA Championships.
West got his collegiate coaching start at Kennesaw State in 2007, and was a catalyst for the Owls’ dominant run that included four Atlantic Sun Conference titles.
His accomplishments in the college ranks make up just some of the successes of his coaching career. West made a name for himself on the high school and international levels as well, coaching nine Georgia state meet finalists while working as an assistant at Norcross High School. He also sent an athlete to the IAAF World Junior Championships in the 100m hurdles in 2010, while coaching a 100m athlete to the USTF Junior Championships in 2009.
After competing for a pair of teams at St. Mary’s College, he transferred to Morehouse College in Atlanta. West received his degree in interdisciplinary studies from Kennesaw State, while coaching the Owls in 2010. He is also certified as a Level I coach with USA Track and Field.
Fox news reporting the suspect in the Kentucky I-75 mass shooting sent this disturbing text “I’m going to kill a lot of people” shortly before Saturday’s attack that wounded five people. The manhunt for 32-year-old Joseph Couch, who served in the Army Reserve for over five years, is entering its fourth day.
He also sent another message that read, “I’ll kill myself afterwards.”
Officials say their goal is to “apply steady pressure at wearing Mr. Couch down” as they continue their search in and around the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Couch faces 5 counts of attempted murder and 5 counts of first-degree assault. There’s a $15,000 collective reward for information that leads to his arrest.
All five victims who were seriously wounded are expected to recover.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee volleyball’s Paityn Chapman and Caroline Kerr garnered SEC honors after helping the Lady Vols post back-to-back straight-set wins last week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Kerr earned SEC Player and Setter of the Week accolades, while Chapman received SEC Freshman of the Week accolades. For her career, Kerr now boasts 13 weekly conference honors after garnering 11 recognitions last season. This marks the third time she earned both SEC Player of the Week and SEC Setter of the Week honors.
The duo led Tennessee to a pair of sweeps against No. 25 UCLA and LIU last week. The Lady Vols jumped out to a hot start against the Bruins and never looked back the whole weekend. Against the Sharks, the Big Orange defense held LIU to just 15 kills and -.052 hitting. It marked the fewest kills allowed by the Lady Vols in a match in more than a decade (12 by Tennessee Tech on 8/29/14) and was the lowest hitting percentage allowed since Marshall hit for -.054 on Sept. 15, 2017.
A native of Champaign, Illinois, Kerr recorded 73 assists, 14 digs, four aces, three kills and three blocks for the week. She helped the Big Orange offense hit .368 and 51 percent of her sets led to kills for the Lady Vols. The redshirt sophomore setter ranked second in the league for the week in assists per set (12.17) and was third in aces per set (0.67).
Kerr’s top performance came against the Bruins, as she posted an all-around effort with 38 assists, eight digs, three blocks, two kills and an ace. Against the Sharks, she ended with 35 assists, six digs and a team-high three aces.
A native of Castle Rock, Colorado, Chapman had 16 kills on .314 hitting, seven digs, six blocks and one ace combined during the Lady Vols’ straight-set wins against 25-ranked UCLA and LIU. Her most notable performance of the week came against the Bruins, when she tallied 11 kills on .333 hitting, five digs, one ace and one solo block. She opened the match with the hot hand, scoring three of the first five points for the Big Orange and finishing with six kills in the opening set to swing the momentum in favor of the Lady Vols early.
Against LIU, Chapman posted a season-best five blocks to go along with five kills and two digs. For the week, she averaged 3.42 points, 2.67 kills, 1.17 digs and 1.00 blocks per set.
Up next, the Lady Vols take on Western Kentucky on the road Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. ET. That match will be streamed on ESPN+.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Tennessee women’s golfer Bailey Davis sits inside the top 15 after two rounds at the Cougar Classic as the Lady Vols are in 12th.
Davis opened her senior campaign with a 1-under 70 in round one and kept her momentum going into round two with an even-par 71. The senior enters the final round tied for 14th.
Sophie Christopher opened her freshman campaign with a 74 and recovered in round two with an even-par 71. The Germantown, Tennessee, native sits 3-over ahead of day two and is two shots outside the top 25.
Freshman Kyra Van Kan opened the tournament with a 76 and turned it around in her second 18 holes, firing a 1-under 70. She is tied for 40th going into Tuesday’s round.
Leighton Shosted shot a 75 in round one and 76 in round two. The Mesa, Arizona, native enters the final round tied for 69th.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A rematch of last season’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32 contest, the 16th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers face off at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Big Orange (2-2) swept WKU (4-2) in the December matchup, ending Western Kentucky’s 25-match win streak. Both teams lost an All-American outside hitter, but unlike Tennessee, the Hilltoppers return five starters from last year’s squad that finished with 30 total wins and were champions of Conference USA.
Tennessee is coming off straight-set wins against No. 25 UCLA and LIU. Redshirt sophomore Caroline Kerr garnered SEC Player and Setter of the Week honors after recording 73 assists, 14 digs, four aces, three kills and three blocks in the two outings. She helped the Big Orange offense hit .368 for the week and 51 percent of her sets led to kills for the Lady Vols. Kerr ranked second in the league for the week in assists per set (12.17) and was third in aces per set (0.67).
Outside hitter Paityn Chapman garnered SEC Freshman of the Week accolades as well, tallying 16 kills on .314 hitting, seven digs, six blocks and one ace. Against the Bruins, she posted 11 kills on .333 hitting, five digs, one ace and one solo block. She opened the match with the hot hand, scoring three of the first five points for the Big Orange and finishing with six kills in the opening set to swing the momentum in favor of the Lady Vols early. Against LIU, Chapman finished with five kills and a personal-best five blocks.
Western Kentucky is coming off a three-match weekend that saw them go 2-1. They opened things with a sweep against Marist before falling in four sets to Michigan State. The Hilltoppers bounced back with a victory against Loyola-Chicago in four sets. Their only other loss on the year came at the hands of ninth-ranked Kentucky in four sets.
