An investigation is underway after an auto parts store in Dandridge is destroyed by fire.
Media outlets reporting that a fire broke out at Jasper Jones Auto Parts yesterday (Monday) afternoon. Officials with the Dandridge Fire Department says one building was completely on fire and flames had spread to a few vehicles when crews arrived.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and there was one injury reported before firefighters arrived but no word on their condition.
A dog dies but an elderly woman and man are rescued, along with a six-foot-long python from an early morning (Tuesday) Cocke County house fire.
The Parrottsville Fire Department responding to a single-wide trailer on Ray’s Loop Road along with the Cocke County Fire Department.
Damage was contained to the home’s kitchen and living room areas.
The couple is doing okay, only suffering smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway following the death of a man while in Knoxville police custody.
Knoxville Police Department officials say its Office of Professional Standards is set to review the death of a 57-year-old man after he was detained by the department during a search warrant executed late Sunday night at the Ammons apartment complex on Asheville Highway.
KPD says after being detained, the man reportedly said he did not feel well and was taken to UT Medical Center where he died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
KPD adds that a preliminary review of body camera footage showed no force and no violations of KPD policy but that the Office of Professional Standards would be reviewing the incident, per standard protocol.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation into the in-custody death.
KPD says no officers have been placed on leave at this time.
Nashville, TN (WOKI / WVLT / WSMV) The Tennessee Department of Health is investigating a botulism-like illness after reported botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes.
The joint investigation with the CDC, FDA and other states has identified concerns about the use of counterfeit products or products with unclear origin administered in non-medical settings such as homes or cosmetic spas.
The health department says that cosmetic injections should be an FDA-approved product, administered by licensed providers and in licensed settings. Suspected botulism illnesses should be reported immediately to the TDH at 615-741-7247.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A man is facing several charges after leading Knoxville Police Department officers on a chase down Chapman Highway Sunday afternoon.
KPD officials say officers responded to a suspicious vehicle off Chapman Highway around 5:00 p.m. Sunday to find 39-year-old Jerad Morrell and 35-year-old Stephanie Epperson who reportedly told the officers there was a gun in their van but that they did not know where it was.
Officers asked them to step out of the van; however, Morrell refused to comply and drove away from the scene, reportedly striking an officer in the process.
Morrell lead police on a chase south on Chapman Highway before crashing into another car and eventually being caught by officers while fleeing on foot.
The driver of the vehicle that was hit was taken to UT Medical Center to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, according to KPD. A KPD officer was also treated for injuries sustained during the foot pursuit.
Police say Morrell had a loaded handgun, suspected crack cocaine and 18 computers and phones in his car; he is charged with multiple felonies, including felony evading arrest.
Epperson was charged with schedule II drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The victim of the April 5th homicide at 3206 Gilbert Lane has been identified as Danishka Sibaja Mejia, 22 of Knoxville.
One day prior to her death, on April 4, Mejia reported that she was the victim of a sexual assault at a home in the 600 block of Walker Street in West Knoxville, naming 39-year-old Latawyne Osborne as the suspect.
On April 5, while officers were on scene investigating Mejia’s death, Osborne arrived at the UT Medical Center to receive treatment for non-life-threatening gunshots wounds. Upon his release, Osborne was questioned by Homicide Unit detectives.
After continued investigation, Osborne was charged with rape, stemming from Mejia’s April 4th report.
Homicide Unit detectives questioned Osborne in reference to Mejia’s death. The investigation into her death remains ongoing at this time.
Osborne remains in custody at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility.
On Friday afternoon, KPD Special Operations Squad personnel conducted a search warrant at the home where the sexual assault is alleged to have occurred on Walker Street, detaining multiple individuals for further investigation that is potentially relevant to the ongoing homicide investigation.
Country music star Morgan Wallen ends up in jail after he allegedly threw a chair from the top of a Broadway bar in Nashville.
WVLT says reports show that 30-year-old Wallen was on the roof of Chiefs Bar last night (Sunday), which is owned by fellow country music singer Eric Church, when witnesses watched him pick up a chair, throw it over the roof, and laugh about it. The rooftop of the bar sits six stories above Broadway.
Two officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department were below on Broadway, the chair landed three feet from them.
Wallen was arrested and is charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of disorderly conduct.
He posted a bond of $15,250 and was released from jail.
A rare, total solar eclipse is expected to bring darkness to cities across the United States on Monday, April 8. While Knoxville is not in the path of totality, the excitement for the phenomenon is still palpable in East Tennessee.
At the peak eclipse, scientists tell WVLT News about 90% of the sun will be covered in Knoxville. However, it can cause serious or permanent eye damage if you don’t wear certified, safe glasses to view the eclipse.
“Even 1% of that sun is too much to look at with your naked eye,” said Dave Ticehurst, a volunteer NASA “eclipse ambassador” for the Knoxville region.
If you want to watch the eclipse, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will have open to the public., please go to https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/solar-eclipse-viewing-at-the-smokies.htm#:~:text=Park%20staff%20and%20volunteers%20will,at%20the%20Cades%20Cove%20Overlook
Be mindful that several schools in East Tennessee will close early for the solar event.
It’s almost time for another solar eclipse to pass by East Tennessee and school districts around the region are preparing for it.
As of this article’s writing, the following districts have announced they will dismiss early on April 8 for the eclipse:
The following districts told WVLT News they will be moving to virtual learning on April 8:
The following districts told WVLT News they will be closed on April 8 for the eclipse:
The following districts said they are not planning to close or dismiss early for the eclipse:
WVLT News has reached out but not received word from the following districts:
The eclipse will pass by on April 8, allowing people to see the sun disappear briefly behind the moon, creating an eerie mid-day darkness.
It will also reveal the sun’s corona, or the outermost part of its atmosphere, which is usually obscured by its brightness.
Of course, one should never look directly at the sun, even partially obscured, and one should avoid looking at it through tools like binoculars or other such gadgets without a special solar filter. Doing so risks severe eye damage.
Instead, create your own shadow box or another indirect method to observe the phenomenon safely.
NASA has several other tips for how to experience a solar eclipse safely.
After this eclipse, there will be quite a wait for the next one. The National Park Service said the next annular, or ring of fire, eclipse will happen in North America in 2041, and the next total one will occur in 2044.
Story courtesy of WVLT
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for a missing East Tennessee man.
77 year-old Robert Stallings is missing from Kingsport, he was last seen on April 4th.
Stallings is described as being 5′8″ tall and 210 pounds with gray hair and brown eyes.
We have his photo on our website, newstalk987.com.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Fentress County, TN (WOKI) The case of a Fentress County mother and father accused of abusing their adopted children was moved to the grand jury Thursday, April 4.
Jessica and Jason Klimp are suspected of abusing two of their four adopted children. One of those children, who is 12 years old, reportedly appeared so malnourished in February that doctors initially thought she was six years old.
According to court records, the couple is also accused of making the two children sleep in totes in their home’s basement as punishment for wetting the bed.
The Klimps are charged with aggravated child abuse, neglect or endangerment.
The grand jury is slated to meet next on April 18.
