Sevier County, TN (WOKI) The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing man.
SCSO officials say 26-year-old Shawn Odell was reportedly last seen in Kodak Wednesday morning. The office has not released a description of Odell at this time.
Those with information are asked to call Detective Sergeant Graham Brantley at 865-868-1748.
Sweetwater, TN (WOKI) An shooting investigation is underway following a home invasion Thursday morning in Monroe County.
Officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office say deputies were called to a home on Brunner Road in Sweetwater early Thursday morning after the break-in, which prompted the investigation.
MCSO says a person was forced from the home before deputies arrived on the scene, adding that the person had tried to reenter the home, but was shot and killed by the homeowner.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Jamaican man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for his role in defrauding a 76-year-old Lenoir City woman.
Department of Justice officials say 24-year-old Morice Armani Brown and other co-conspirators bilked the woman out of nearly $700,000 by convincing her to pay various fees and taxes to claim winnings from a bogus sweepstakes competition.
Court records reveal Brown and his accomplices reportedly travelled to Lenoir City to collect the money from the victim, splitting the proceeds between themselves and others.
Brown pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay nearly $700,000 in restitution.
The charges were the result of an investigation by the Lenoir City Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
So far, Brown’s co-conspirators, Marklyn Antonio Forrester, Jamali Jermaine Ramsay, and Jahmarley Kiboki McFarlane were sentenced to 63 months, 36 months, and 57 months in prison, respectively. A fifth individual, Tessa Nicole Hines, is scheduled to be sentenced in October for her role in laundering money related to the scheme.
Dandridge, TN (WOKI) A two-month long investigation results in the arrest of an East Tennessee man charged with multiple child sex crimes.
Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office say the investigation into exchanges on Snapchat ended in the arrest and charging of 39-year-old William “Nick” Edens of Dandridge.
Edens faces 20 counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of solicitation of a minor to observe sexual conduct.
He is being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
Blount County, TN (WOKI) Two people are facing numerous drug charges following a multi-agency execution of a search warrant at a home in Blount County.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say roughly half a dozen different drugs, to include suspected fentanyl pills, were confiscated at the home on Russell Road in Rockford shared by suspects 53-year-old Jamie Henry and 54-year-old Amanda Whitehead.
BCSO says drug paraphernalia and $8,300 in cash were also recovered from the residence.
Henry and Whitehead were arrested and face multiple charges including “maintaining a dwelling where drugs are used or sold.”
Oak Ridge, TN (WOKI) Calling it the “single-largest investment in Tennessee history,” Governor Bill Lee Wednesday announced a new, multi-billion-dollar uranium enrichment facility for the city of Oak Ridge.
The project, lead by Orano USA, will take up 750,000 feet in the Roane County area of Oak Ridge with a facility set to bring more than 300 jobs into the area.
Officials with the Paris, France-based company say the site will enrich uranium for energy and government use.
Jean-Luc Palayer, the CEO and president of the French company, said Oak Ridge was the perfect spot to build the facility.
“We are very pleased to make this announcement with the great state of Tennessee. The warm welcome, responsive engagement and established nuclear energy community in Oak Ridge, as well as access to continuous and stable power, have been key factors for this site selection,” Palayer said. “We’re already preparing for our next required steps, including securing available Federal support and customer commitments, obtaining an NRC license and Orano’s Board approval, but today we celebrate this major milestone towards bringing a new enrichment facility online to help meet our country’s need for an increased, secure domestic nuclear fuel supply.”
The company took advantage of a $60 million state funding pool, the Nuclear Energy Fund, aimed at bringing more nuclear energy business into the state.
“Our administration created the Nuclear Energy Fund in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly to support and expand the state’s nuclear ecosystem, and in the last six months, we’ve announced four projects that will further strengthen Tennessee’s position as a leader in safe, clean and reliable energy for the future,” Lee said. “Tennessee is the number one state for nuclear energy companies to invest and thrive, and we are proud to partner with Orano to lead America’s energy independence and drive continued economic growth and greater opportunity for Tennesseans.”
Orano USA is the second company to use money from the fund.
Loudon County, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Now former Greenback High School Head Football Coach Tommy Clemmer has been removed from the team’s staff after an incident with a student.
WOKI’s news partner, WVLT reporting that representatives with
Loudon County Schools provided a statement saying Clemmer did not “create a positive atmosphere in and out of the classroom.”
He’s been replaced with Coach Gray Williams, who is serving in the role in the interim.
Loudon County Board of Education Policy No. 5.610 sets the expectation that all teachers and coaches create a positive atmosphere in and out of the classroom, and that they extend courtesy and respect to all students. When those expectations are not met though, action must be taken. Therefore, as of the afternoon of Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Loudon County Schools has removed Coach Tommy Clemmer from the football staff and named Coach Gray Williams as the Interim Head Football Coach at Greenback High School. We have full faith and confidence in Coach Williams, and we remain committed to placing the focus back on our student-athletes to ensure they experience a winning and rewarding football season. – Loudon County Schools
Officials with the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office confirm Clemmer was involved in the incident on Friday during a football game. They say the parents of the student and the student directly did not want to press charges at the time.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee men’s basketball standout Zakai Zeigler is a Blue Ribbon Yearbook Preseason Second Team All-American, as announced Tuesday afternoon.
This is the first formal preseason All-America team released in advance of the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Zeigler, a senior guard, was a First Team All-SEC designee and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24. He has twice been one of 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game during a stellar 2023-24 campaign during which he shot 34.4 percent from deep. After playing in a reserve role the first six games of the year, as he fully recovered from a season-ending left knee injury in 2022-23, he averaged 13.3 points, 6.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals across his 30 starts as a junior, posting a 36.4 percent 3-point clip during that stretch.
The two-time reigning SEC assists leader, Zeigler is one of four three-time All-SEC Defensive Team selections in league history. He owns the Tennessee record for career assists in NCAA Tournament play (38) and was a member of the 2024 NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team after leading the Volunteers to the Elite Eight.
Zeigler is one of four SEC players who made the Blue Ribbon Yearbook cut, joining Alabama’s Mark Sears (first team), Auburn’s Johni Broome (second team) and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV (second team).
For news and information about 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.
2024-25 BLUE RIBBON YEARBOOK PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
First Team
R.J. Davis, North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Alex Karaban, Connecticut
Caleb Love, Arizona
Mark Sears, Alabama
Second Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Braden Smith, Purdue
Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Third Team
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
J’Wan Roberts, Houston
Fourth Team
Oumar Ballo, Indiana
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Axel Lendeborg, UAB
Great Osobor, Washington
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
No fatalities reported by Knoxville Police over the Labor Day weekend.
Knoxville Police increased traffic enforcement between Friday and Labor Day and issued nearly 300 citations and five DUI arrests were made. There were 295 total citations issued including 87 for speeding and there were 44 crash investigations.
Below is a breakdown of KPD’s Labor Day weekend traffic report:
295 total citations
87 speeding citations
309 warnings
44 crash investigations
12 crashes with injury
0 fatalities
5 DUI arrests
53 motorists assisted
KPD said it conducted its enhanced traffic enforcement in an effort to keep the roads safe during the holiday.
Monroe County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating a deadly house fire Tuesday morning in Monroe County.
Officials with the Madisonville Police Department say the fire broke out around 5:00 a.m. in the 500 block of Old Cemetery Road, and there were reports of people possibly trapped inside.
MPD says when officers arrived on the scene, the home was engulfed in flames and that two adults and a child had escaped the residence, but two other adults and a child were still unaccounted for within the burning home.
According to MPD, officers and firefighters with the Madisonville Fire Department tried to rescue those trapped inside, but the flames were too intense for emergency crews to reach them.
“Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families affected by this heart-wrenching tragedy, not just today but in the difficult days ahead,” MPD said.
“We also wish to express our gratitude to the Madisonville Fire Department, Monroe County EMS, Monroe County E-911, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 10th District Attorney General’s Office, Sweetwater Police Department, and Monroe County Rescue Squad for their support and assistance during this investigation,” MPD continued.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the fire.
Additional information, including the identities of those who died, has not been released.
