Union County, TN (WOKI) Two students are arrested Thursday, September 19 after an incident at Union County High School.
Union County Schools officials releasing a statement saying two juveniles are accused of assaulting a school resource officer and an administrator around 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning.
Officials say both juveniles were arrested and removed from the school.
It’s not yet clear what led to the altercation.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) We’re learning more now about Monday’s deadly crash in Powell.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office releasing an incident report Thursday afternoon detailing the crash in the 7900 block of Collier Road that killed the driver, a 17-year-old girl, who reportedly lost
control of the vehicle and hit a KUB utility pole, cracking it in half upon impact.
An 18-year-old passenger was ejected from the car in the crash; the passenger was listed in serious condition Monday.
The report also indicates the driver was speeding at the time.
Rural Metro Fire also responded to the crash. They say the roadway is one of many in Knox County without a shoulder, asking drivers to please slow down to avoid a crash.
The roadway was shut down for several hours on Monday.
(Story courtesy of WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) Vision Zero for the city of Knoxville is simple in its purest form.
“The goal is to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injury crashes,” Vision Zero Coordinator Cody Gentry said.
Gentry was named coordinator of the project in March that has seen already more than $1 million of federal grant funding awarded to reach its declared goal.
“This is something that’s happening, this is happening in the U.S. We are having other cities achieve zero deaths so why not Knoxville,” Gentry said.
Gentry met WVLT at the intersection of Sutherland Ave. and Tobler, in front of West High School.
That intersection was where a student was hit by a car while walking to class last school year.
“One of the largest contributing factors we see in crashes is speed,” said Gentry.
The intersection received a few thousand dollars in improvements, but is eclipsed by larger projects, receiving millions of dollars in funding, all with the same goal.
“We had 36 total fatalities in 2023 which was up, we typically average somewhere in the mid to low 20s,” said Gentry.
Roads like Chapman Highway, Magnolia Ave. and Broadway are receiving the brunt of attention.
“It really needs it, so many accidents right here, all the young people racing up here along magnolia, its dangerous, lives have been lost,” Reuben Mitchell who lives in East Knoxville said.
Data WVLT News obtained showed since 2022, a three mile stretch of Magnolia Ave. had been the location of 13 serious crashes that resulted in seven deaths.
“I would do a roundabout at these main intersections, Cherry and Magnolia I’d do a round about stop people from running lights, speeding and racing and things like that,” Mitchell said.
While a project that is slated to last until 2040, Vision Zero is already being put to work, with Sutherland and Tobler being a tangible example of the work being done.
“We call these quick build projects, so the overall idea is we want to get something on the ground as quick as cheaply as possible but still achieve the results were going for,” said Gentry. ”We can take these quick build projects we can be more nimble be more reactive get things on the ground.”
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) A fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that broke out last month has grown again.
Park officials providing an update Thursday say The Flint Gap Fire which was sparked by lightning on August 26 has grown to 58 acres, a 12 acre increase since the last update from the park earlier this week.
According to the park, the fire is smoldering rather than actually burning, and recent rainfall has helped stem it from growing even more. Officials are warning though that there is room for concern as the fall season looms, with falling leaves offering an opportunity for the fire to continue spreading.
“While fire activity is currently minimal, there is a potential for increased burning as leaves drop and weather conditions change.,” the park said. “Despite some rain this week, precipitation levels remain low and no significant moisture is forecasted for the next several weeks. In preparation of changing conditions, fire staff continue to execute a full suppression strategy.”
Visitors may see more firefighting equipment near the Abrams Creek area, the park said, as crews continue to fight the fire and clear pathways to make it easier to get into the area where the fire is burning.
As of now, the fire is uncontained, but there is no threat to campgrounds or any structures. Parson Branch Road, several trails and backcountry campsites remain closed due to fire activity.
A Knoxville woman, who thought she was hiring a hit man to kill the wife of a man she met online, is headed to prison.
Melody Sasser met a man on match dot com last year before he moved away and eventually married someone else.
She reportedly paid almost ten thousand dollars through Bitcoin on Online Killers Market to hire a hitman for a “job.”
She provided license plate numbers and other details about her target, the fiancee of the man she met on-line.
Sasser entered a plea deal and she will face 100 months in prison and pay more than $5000 in fines.
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is putting the word out, warning people that impersonators are trying to get “donations” for the group.
“These parties may use buckets and display Second Harvest’s name but are NOT affiliated with the organization or its 670+ community partners,” the organization said.
The groups have been appearing on street corners and public locations in Knoxville, according to Second Harvest. Donators are being asked to call 865-521-0000 or email [email protected] to verify their donations before they give money. Story courtesy of WVLT
Officials in Kentucky believe a body found in the area where the I-75 mass shooting happened could be the suspect, Joseph Couch.
Kentucky State Police say the body was found near Exit 49. Officials say officers are still processing the scene and are waiting for a positive identification, but items found at the scene, including a weapon, make them believe the body is Couch.
Police say on September 7th, Joseph Couch opened fire in Laurel County on I-75 near Exit 49. Five people were shot and survived. Authorities have been searching for him since.
The discovery of the body comes a day after Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky law enforcement leaders announced they were adjusting the deployment of some of the resources involved with the manhunt back into the community.
The manhunt had been stretching local agencies thin. Hundreds of tips had been submitted to law enforcement, and more than 28,000 acres of Daniel Boone National Forest were searched.
Police are aware of a YouTube channel that was in the woods livestreaming as the body was found. (Story Courtesy of WVLT)
Greene County, TN (WOKI) Sixteen Greene County middle school students are facing charges after posting a TikTok video reenacting a school shooting.
Officials with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office say “the video shows several juveniles re-enacting what appears to be a school shooting with a title of ‘to be continued.'”
They add that “the video was posted on TikTok and was shared by several others before being removed from the platform.”
GCSO says all the students attend South Greene Middle School, and they are slated to appear in juvenile court.
(Knoxville, TN WOKI) UPDATE 9/18: Knoxville Police have identified the victims in last weekend’s fatal crash in North Knoxville.
The crash happened Sunday night, September 15, on Cedar Lane at Central Avenue Pike involving a delivery box truck and a motorcycle with two riders, a man driving and a woman as a passenger.
The woman, 43-year-old Alecia Vigander of Knoxville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Scates also of Knoxville, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The investigation so far shows that the motorcycle was driving recklessly when it collided with the truck, which was nearly stopped and preparing to make a right turn at the time of the collision.
UPDATE: Knoxville Police are investigating a fatal crash in North Knoxville.
It happened Sunday night on Cedar Lane at Central Avenue Pike; the crash involved a delivery box truck and a motorcycle with two riders, a man driving and a woman as a passenger.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The investigation so far shows that the motorcycle was driving recklessly when it collided with the truck, which was nearly stopped and preparing to make a right turn at the time of the collision.
ORIGINAL STORY: Knoxville Police are investigating a fatal crash in North Knoxville.
It happened Sunday night on Cedar Lane at Central Avenue Pike; the crash involved a delivery box truck and a motorcycle with two riders.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and another person was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
No other details have been released as it remains an active investigation.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help identifying a man whose body was found more than year ago in West Knox County.
KCSO says deputies were called to 325 Walker Springs Road around 4:30 on Saturday, August 5, 2023 for the report of a dead person near the wood line on the property, adjacent to the Ten Mile Greenway.
At the time, investigators found that the body was too decomposed to be identified, transporting it to the Regional Forensic Center for more examination.
KCSO says there were no signs at the scene of foul play, and the victim, from what could be gathered at the scene, was not assaulted. Officials add the cause and manner of death are pending the findings of the Regional Forensic Center.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Knox County Regional Forensic Center are asking for help identifying the man. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeremy McCord in the Major Crimes Unit at 865-215-2243.
