Blount County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 26-year-old Tyra Marie Grace (Courtesy: BCSO)
Maryville, TN (WOKI) The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in finding a missing woman.
BCSO officials say 26 year-old Tyra Marie Grace left a home on October 24 and hasn’t been seen since.
They say she was last seen wearing a pink hoodie and white sweatpants.
Police say Grace does not have a car and has hitchhiked in the past. She left the home without extra clothes, a cell phone, identification and money.
“Tyra has a history of severe depression and drug use,” officials said. “Tyra also has no Blount County ties with the exception of her family members on Winchester Drive.”
She does have connections in Union and Claiborne Counties as well as Lee County, Virginia.
Anyone with information on where she might be was urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 865-273-5000.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A man has died following a motorcycle crash Friday afternoon on Parkside Drive.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say the crash involved a motorcycle and a car on Parkside Drive at Sherway Road.
They say the driver of the motorcycle was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead; no additional injuries have been reported.
Crash reconstruction units are on the scene, and officials say Sherway Road and the east and west bound lanes of Parkside Drive are expected to be closed until at least 5:30 p.m.
Prosecutors said Steven Lee McAbee, 43, raped the child while babysitting her. (Courtesy: District Attorney’s Office)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man, convicted on two counts of Rape of a Child, will serve decades in prison without the possibility of parole for his crimes.
Officials with District Attorney Charme Allen’s office say 43 year-old Steven Lee McAbee was sentenced Friday, November 3 to 35 years in prison for each count. Under Tennessee law, he has to serve at least 35 years without the possibility of parole.
In March, prosecutors proved that McAbee raped a child he was babysitting on two different occasions at two homes in South Knoxville. The victim, who is still a child, disclosed the abuse when she was eight years old.
Greene County, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway in Greene County after hunters find the body of a deceased female Thursday.
Greene County Sheriff’s Department officials say hunters were on a property in the West Pines area to put up a deer stand when they discovered the body.
They say the body was sent to East Tennessee State University’s William L. Jenkins Forensic Center for identification and to determine the cause of death.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting the GCSD’s Criminal Investigation Division in the active investigation.
Chilhowee Drive collapses under water, Knoxville police say (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: Officials with the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) are confirming that the collapse of Chilhowee Drive just south of Rutledge Pike is due to a 12-inch water main break in the area. They say crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to repair the breach, but they anticipate that North Chilhowee Drive between Holston Middle School and Rutledge Pike will be closed through Friday evening as the repair is made.
Motorists are being asked to avoid the area and seek alternate routes to their destinations.
ORIGINAL STORY: A traffic alert is in effect for Chilhowee Drive as a collapse of the roadway is making it impassable for drivers.
Knoxville Police say an apparent collapse of the roadway just south of Rutledge Pike is making it impassable, and it’s believed to have been caused by water.
The Knoxville Utilities Board has been notified. Police are asking that you avoid the area and seek alternate routes to your destination.
Parents and guardians trying to get to Holston Middle School are advised to enter from Asheville Highway.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign is partnering with Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee (GSMIDTN) to offer a new Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch.
Troops of all ages have multiple ways to earn the patch including participating in litter cleanups in their community, coordinating their own cleanup in their neighborhood or school grounds, or through Girl Scout camp beautification projects. For Girl Scouts ages 12 and older, the Adopt-A-Highway program is an opportunity to earn both a patch and a roadway recognition panel for committing to quarterly pickups. Younger scouts may earn a patch by completing Nobody Trashes Tennessee educational worksheets. Patches are provided by Nobody Trashes Tennessee and do not cost the troop or individual scouts.
“Girl Scouts are dedicated to making a difference in their communities as reflected in one of our core values to put service above self,” said Pam Self, Interim President/CEO, GSMIDTN. “By participating in a litter cleanup service project, we are also living the Girl Scout Promise of helping people at all times.”
Girl Scouts are encouraged to participate in the upcoming third annual No Trash November, a month-long initiative encouraging Tennesseans to participate in cleanup events held across the state. Last year’s No Trash November campaign included 95 events with over 1,300 volunteers who collected more than 48,000 pounds of litter from the state’s roadways. This year, with the help of GSMIDTN, the initiative’s goal is to remove 50,000 pounds of litter from Tennessee roadways.
In addition to No Trash November, troops may participate in community cleanups or coordinate their own events in observance of the Great American Cleanup (Mid-March – Mid-June), Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month (March), or Earth Day (April 22, 2024).
“Our shared values make this a perfect partnership as we strive to prevent and reduce litter on our state’s roadways and waterways,” said Brittany Morris, TDOT Transportation Program Coordinator. “By working together to improve and beautify communities across the state, we can make an even larger impact.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign is partnering with Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee (GSMIDTN) to offer a new Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch.
Troops of all ages have multiple ways to earn the patch including participating in litter cleanups in their community, coordinating their own cleanup in their neighborhood or school grounds, or through Girl Scout camp beautification projects. For Girl Scouts ages 12 and older, the Adopt-A-Highway program is an opportunity to earn both a patch and a roadway recognition panel for committing to quarterly pickups. Younger scouts may earn a patch by completing Nobody Trashes Tennessee educational worksheets. Patches are provided by Nobody Trashes Tennessee and do not cost the troop or individual scouts.
“Girl Scouts are dedicated to making a difference in their communities as reflected in one of our core values to put service above self,” said Pam Self, Interim President/CEO, GSMIDTN. “By participating in a litter cleanup service project, we are also living the Girl Scout Promise of helping people at all times.”
Girl Scouts are encouraged to participate in the upcoming third annual No Trash November, a month-long initiative encouraging Tennesseans to participate in cleanup events held across the state. Last year’s No Trash November campaign included 95 events with over 1,300 volunteers who collected more than 48,000 pounds of litter from the state’s roadways. This year, with the help of GSMIDTN, the initiative’s goal is to remove 50,000 pounds of litter from Tennessee roadways.
In addition to No Trash November, troops may participate in community cleanups or coordinate their own events in observance of the Great American Cleanup (Mid-March – Mid-June), Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month (March), or Earth Day (April 22, 2024).
“Our shared values make this a perfect partnership as we strive to prevent and reduce litter on our state’s roadways and waterways,” said Brittany Morris, TDOT Transportation Program Coordinator. “By working together to improve and beautify communities across the state, we can make an even larger impact.”
Three men are arrested for stealing phones from a Walmart.
It happened Wednesday at the Chapman Highway store. Kurt Johnson and Antoine McGee of Texas and Kilvaris Downing of Alabama were taken into custody and charged with theft after employees noticed 10 cell phones missing while auditing inventory.
The three suspects reportedly work for a third party company that remodels locking cases for businesses, so they were able to use a key to open the locked shelves.
Security video showed the three men taking the phones.
No charges will be filed against police officers involved in a fatal shooting.
The District Attorney says the Cocke County deputy and Parrotsville police officer involved in the arrest and death of Whitney Fox in Cocke County will not face charges in the May 23rd shooting in the Bybee community.
Fox had multiple outstanding warrants and had been evading arrest by deputies when the chase began. It ended when Fox drove into a field and crashed into the police vehicles. The deputies left their cars and approached Fox who refused over forty commands to cease and desist, and she drove her vehicle in a manner that caused the on foot deputies to fear for their lives.
The shooting has been ruled an act of self-defense.
The Silver Alert issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for 65 year old Calvin Hyett, missing from Lenoir City has ended as he has been found safe.
He was last seen October 30th in the area of Taft Packett Road.
He has a medical condition that could have made it difficult for him to return safely without assistance.
