The Dandridge Police Department is asking for help finding a man wanted on multiple warrants.
Steve Alexander the third is wanted in connection to an incident that happened yesterday (Monday).
DPD says if you see him, you should not approach or try to apprehend him.
Anyone with information regarding Alexander’s whereabouts is asked to contact authorities.
Sevier County, TN (WOKI) – We have an update about a brush fire in Sevier County.
The Richardson Cove Road Brush Fire is now 80% contained. Crews have completed containment lines around a 15-acre burn area.
The fire was caused by a lightning strike from a thunderstorm last week. Crews will continue to monitor fire activity to ensure it remains controlled. No structures are threatened or have been damaged.
Several agencies are working to contain this fire.
UNION COUNTY, TN (TWRA / WOKI) — After another serious boating injury on Norris Lake Saturday afternoon, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) wants to continue to remind boaters about the dangers of propeller strikes.
At approximately 2:22 p.m. on August 9, 2025, TWRA dispatch received a report of a boating incident involving a person in the water on Norris Lake near Hickory Star Marina in Union County. Witness statements and evidence suggest the victim had been kneeboarding behind a vessel when he fell into the water. As the operator attempted to retrieve him, the vessel’s lower unit and propeller made contact with the victim, causing severe lacerations to his leg and foot.
The victim was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. This incident marks the ninth propeller-strike injury and the 34th serious injury boating incident in Tennessee this year.
Propeller strikes can cause deep lacerations, broken bones, amputations, and even death. TWRA urges boaters to:
“Propeller strikes are almost always preventable,” said TWRA Boating Investigator Captain Roy Smith. “A few extra seconds of caution can prevent life-changing injuries.”
For more boating safety information, visit www.tnwildlife.org.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.
The Grainger County Sheriff’s Office says a student has been charged with making threats of mass violence.
According to Sheriff James Harville, the student, who is a juvenile at Grainger High School, was taken to a local juvenile detention facility after making the reported threats. Their identity was not released due to being a juvenile.
Students in Grainger County returned to the classroom on August 5th.
Grainger County Schools have not released any further information.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Gatlinburg, TN (WVLT) One week after Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was close, the park service says the road will stay closed on the Tennessee side until early October. The park service is now looking for a contractor to come in and make the repairs.
“We are working through the design, contracting and permitting processes we expect to where the project contract in August and expect that the project will be completed and the road can reopen in early October,” Katie Liming said.
A rockslide closed the road last week, shutting traffic out on both sides of the state line. The North Carolina side reopened early this week, meaning it’s the only way to get to Kuwohi, previously Clingman’s Dome.
Liming gave a recap of what caused the incident on Newfound Gap Road. “That evening we received more than two inches of rain in two hours and that caused Walker Camp Prong to swell and undermine a section of this road. And so the slide impacted about 125 feet of the roadway and undermined almost the entire southbound lane, so it is it is not safe and and we closed the road,” she said.
It will take months to get the road back open, Liming said. When work does start, she added, the park will also be putting erosion management infrastructure in place, along with a rock wall.
“A major message is you know the park is open, there is a lot to explore,” said Liming.
WVLT News spoke with Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. He said the news of a park road closure will be a hit to tourism numbers in an area that relies on visitors heavily.
“I think it’ll have a negative impact on our tourism for a little while until they get it open, because a lot of folks come to visit the park and when when they hear that the park is closed and they can’t get in they say, ‘well I’m not sure I’m going to go,’” Waters said.
Waters said that he and other leadership are willing to do whatever they can to ensure that the road is fixed as soon as possible.
TIPTONVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WSMV / WVLT) – The man accused of killing four people in Lake County appeared virtually before the court on Thursday morning.
The Lake County Courthouse saw 28-year-old Austin Drummond via video conference call as the judge read aloud the charges against him.
Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated kidnapping and abandonment.
The judge revealed that the four Tiptonville victims were found shot to death.
Due to Drummond not having his own attorneys, the judge entered a not guilty plea for him and later appointed an attorney from Covington, Tennessee, to represent him.
The district attorney for the state of Tennessee declared that he intends to seek the death penalty, leading the judge to deny bond.
Drummond is accused of murdering Matthew Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams in Tiptonville, Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake on Tuesday, July 29.
The four bodies were found Tuesday night on Carrington Road in Tiptonville, located in Lake County, approximately 40 miles away from where a seven-month-old girl was dropped off in a Dyer County yard.
The Dyer County sheriff confirmed the victims are the baby’s parents, grandmother, and 15-year-old uncle. The Dyer County sheriff confirmed during Tuesday’s press conference that the baby was unharmed and is doing well.
Drummond was captured after a nearly weeklong manhunt in West Tennessee. Multiple agencies were involved in the search and it was initially believed he had fled the state before he was spotted in Jackson, Tennessee, on Sunday, August 3.
The search efforts converged on a section of Pleasant Plains Road near Union University with no success until he was spotted on several residential security cameras on Monday night.
A “shelter in place” was ordered for residents on Tuesday morning, and Drummond was located a short time later. The Jackson Police Department announced his arrest at 9:15 a.m.
Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley said Drummond was located behind a vacant pool house. Several weapons were found, but Drummond himself was not armed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshal Service, and multiple sheriff’s departments all assisted in the search for Drummond before he was brought in by the Jackson Police Department.
During the search for Drummond, the investigation also expanded to include people who officials said assisted him after the murders and even tampered with evidence.
The TBI charged 23-year-old Dearrah Sanders, of Jackson, with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder on Monday morning.
Two others are also charged with helping Drummond. The TBI arrested Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonti Thomas, 29, both of Jackson. Brown and Thomas have been charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
Brown is also facing an additional charge of tampering with evidence. The TBI said the charges come after their investigation revealed Brown and Thomas assisted Drummond, but the agency did not share any details as to how in the arrest affidavit.
Multiple agencies are working together to collect more evidence and are investigating other people who might’ve helped Drummond evade capture after the shootings.
Drummond is expected back in court on August 14 at 9 a.m.
Tennessee (WOKI and WVLT) – Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn announces her run for Governor of Tennessee this (Wednesday) morning on social media.
Blackburn said “In his first six months, President Trump has made historic strides in Making America Great Again, but as he sends power back to the states, he’s going to need strong conservative governors who can bring that revolution home. I’m running to serve as Tennessee’s next governor to ensure Tennessee is America’s conservative leader,” She went on to say “I’m ready to deliver the kind of conservative leadership that will ensure our state is America’s conservative leader for this generation and the next, and I would be honored to have your support.”
The campaign announcement highlighted a focus on job creation, immigration enforcement and social issues like gender identity.
Blackburn started the announcement with a promise to make Tennessee the country’s primary “job creating, energy producing powerhouse.” It’s a priority she shares with the sitting governor, Bill Lee, who has emphasized Tennessee’s investments in nuclear energy production over the last few years.
Much like her fellow conservatives, Blackburn is following the immigration enforcement playbook as well. In the announcement, she promised to crank up illegal alien deportations, saying “respect for the law starts with enforcing it.”
Another focus in the announcement was gender politics, with the governor hopeful saying the state would, under her, “define boys and girls the way God made them,” promising to “get rid of gender pronoun insanity.” Gender identity and similar LGBTQ+ issues have long been a standing social issue conservatives have rallied behind.
In January, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs endorsed Blackburn, even before her official announcement. He doubled-down on the endorsement Wednesday, saying she “has a proven record of defending Tennessee conservative values, and exactly one year from today, I will proudly cast my vote for her to be our 51st Governor.” Jacobs, who is currently serving his final term in office due to term limits, is serving as her campaign treasurer.
Blackburn is currently serving her second term in the U.S. Senate. Prior to her stint in the Senate, she served as a U.S. representative from 2003 to 2019.
Saturday, September 13, 2025 7:30 PM 11:00 PM
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The famed Night Race Returns to Bristol in 2025 for the NASCAR Playoffs. Be a part of the most popular race in NASCAR.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Nashville, TN (WVLT) The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) announced the opening of the TN Promise Application for the high school graduating class of 2026.
TN Promise provides high school graduates the opportunity to attend college tuition-free. Students can use this scholarship at any of Tennessee’s community colleges or Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT,) said THEC.
This year’s application is also the entry point for a new initiative called Tennessee’s Direct Admissions Pilot Program, which automatically accepts eligible high school seniors into in-state public and private universities, as well as TCAT, according to THEC.
THEC said “In partnership with tnAchieves and The Ayers Foundation Trust, TN Promise supports students not only financially, but with built-in mentoring and support to help them navigate the transition from high school to college.”
Last year’s TN Promise application cycle welcomed a record-breaking number of class applicants, according to THEC.
“Tennessee Promise has helped more than 250,000 Tennessee students access college over the past ten years,” said Dr. Steven Gentile, THEC executive director. “We are excited that the class of 2026 will have the opportunity to not just benefit from this program but to break last year’s application record. We and our partners remain committed to helping students take the first step toward earning a college credential.”
Students can now apply here. The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.
