Sevier County Shooting suspect in Custody Following standoff with Sheriff’s Office, SWAT and Bomb Squad

Sevier County Shooting suspect in Custody Following standoff with Sheriff’s Office, SWAT and Bomb Squad

September 29, 2023
Sevier County shooting suspect in custody after standoff with sheriff’s office, SWAT and bomb squad (Frankly Media)

Sevier County, TN (WOKI) A Sevier County man is in custody and a shooting victim is hospitalized following a two-hour standoff Friday with multiple law enforcement agencies in Sevier County.

Officials with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office say 35-year-old Eric Coates is the suspect in the shooting of 60-year-old Mark Kennard inside a home in the 200 block of Asheville Highway. Three other people were in the home at the time of the shooting, according to SCSO officials.

SCSO says responding officers arrived on scene to find Kennard shot multiple times and Coates, armed, in a car in the home’s driveway saying he had an explosive which reportedly sparked the standoff.

Other teams, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Sevier County Interagency Bomb Squad and others responded to the scene during the standoff.

Coates was eventually subdued by CS gas, a type of tear gas, deployed by the Hazardous Devices Units which also responded to the scene; after which, Coates was taken into custody, according to SCSO officials.

Coates was charged with four counts of attempted first degree murder and an outstanding failure to appear warrant.

Kennard was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he is in stable condition.

Lake Fire Contained in Great Smoky Mountains National Park 

Lake Fire Contained in Great Smoky Mountains National Park 

September 29, 2023

Updated story: Firefighters have successfully contained the 10-acre Lake Fire near backcountry campsite 87 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire through the weekend. Smoke may be visible as the fire smolders in leaf litter and brush. Campsite 87 remains closed. 

The Lake Fire was reported at about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No structures were threatened. 

Original story:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park firefighters are suppressing a 5-10 acre wildland fire near backcountry campsite 87 on Fontana Lake’s shore.

The Lake Fire was reported at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26. Firefighters were on scene early this evening and will remain in the area overnight to monitor and continue to suppress the fire. No structures are threatened by the fire. Smoke may be visible. 

The fire is smoldering and creeping through timber and brush understory with significant leaf litter. Firefighters are using a full suppression attack and there is no threat to fire lines at this time. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Backcountry campsite 87 has been closed to all use.  

Three West High School Students Arrest after the School is Placed on Medium Lockdown

Three West High School Students Arrest after the School is Placed on Medium Lockdown

September 29, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT

An investigation remains underway after three West High School students are charged in connection to a firearm allegedly being brought onto school grounds.

The school was temporarily placed on a medium lockdown yesterday due to a report that a student had possibly brought a gun to school in their backpack.

Knoxville Police say three juvenile males have been charged.

KPD says there is no evidence to suggest that there was an active threat to school safety at any time.

Jefferson County’s Mayor is Arrested in Bradley County on DUI Charges

Jefferson County’s Mayor is Arrested in Bradley County on DUI Charges

September 29, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT

Jefferson County Mayor Mark Lee Potts is arrested for DUI in Bradley County.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol says Potts was found lying face down in a ditch surrounded by beer containers at the 20-mile marker on I-75 South when police arrived at the scene Wednesday night.

A police report states that Potts admitted to drinking and driving from Knoxville and that he had pulled over to stay safe. Police conducted a roadside test and upon failure, arrested Potts for DUI.

He’s charged with Driving Under the Influence and Open Container.

TWRA: Body of Angler Who Died after Boat Pulled into Fort Loudoun Dam Spillway Identified

TWRA: Body of Angler Who Died after Boat Pulled into Fort Loudoun Dam Spillway Identified

September 28, 2023
(Courtesy: TWRA)

Loudoun County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has identified the man who died after a boat was pulled into a dam spillway Tuesday morning on Fort Loudon Lake.

TWRA says two men were on board the boat, presumably fishing when the boat was pulled into the spillway of Fort Loudoun Dam and capsized, sending both men into the water.

One of the men was rescued quickly by another angler on a different boat while the other man’s body, that of 68-year-old Albert Watkins, was recovered later by dam workers.

Officials say both men were wearing life jackets. They add the boat was recovered and taken by TWRA officers for analysis.

The incident remains under investigation.

Knoxville Police Capture Shooting Suspect after Early Morning Chase

Knoxville Police Capture Shooting Suspect after Early Morning Chase

September 28, 2023

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police captured a shooting suspect following an early morning chase Thursday.

KPD officials say officers apprehended 29-year-old Brandon Nichols after he lost control of his motorcycle, crashing at the intersection of Witt Lane and Dandridge Avenue.

Nichols was wanted in connection to a shooting incident around 3:00 a.m. near N. Sixth Avenue and E. Glenwood Avenue where responding officers found a 40-year-old man who had been shot in the leg; he described the suspect as a man riding a motorcycle later identified by police as Nichols.

Both the victim and Nichols were transported to the hospital for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries.

Charges for Nichols are pending.

KPD: Woman Who Assaulted Student in August Charged Again after Trying to Run Her Over with SUV

KPD: Woman Who Assaulted Student in August Charged Again after Trying to Run Her Over with SUV

September 28, 2023
Allison Coronado’s second mugshot (Courtesy: JIMS)

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A woman arrested and charged with assault for trying to fight a girl getting off a school bus is now charged with assault again for trying to run the same girl over with her SUV.

Thirty-five year-old Allison Coronado was taken into custody in August for trying to fight the minor as she got off her school bus in the East Knoxville area.

She was taken into custody again after the latest incident, which happened Wednesday, September 20. The victim told police that Coronado had tried to hit her with her car as she was walking home from her bus stop while shouting “run fatty.”

Police have a video of the incident which shows the SUV crossed traffic in the victim’s direction.

Coronado has been charged with assault for the second time.

FEMA Relief Coming to Several East Tennessee Counties which Suffered Severe Damage in August Storms

FEMA Relief Coming to Several East Tennessee Counties which Suffered Severe Damage in August Storms

September 28, 2023

Help is on the way for some East Tennessee counties continuing to clean up from last month’s storms which caused severe damage and flooding in areas.

President Biden has released federal disaster assistance to the state of Tennessee by FEMA which will make public assistance federal funding available to affected state and eligible local governments and certain nonprofit organizations to be used for emergency work and repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities in Bledsoe, Coffee, Cumberland, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, Roane and Van Buren counties.

The Weinermobile is in East Tennessee

The Weinermobile is in East Tennessee

September 28, 2023

If you’ve ever wanted to see the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile up close, you have your chance if you’re in Blount County today.

You’ll also have a few more chances in East Tennessee for the rest of this week and weekend.

The iconic 27-foot, or 40 hotdog length, hotdog on wheels is at the Maryville Kroger on Foothills Plaza Drive until 2 p.m. today. Next, it will be at the Alcoa Kroger on South Hall Drive from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Weinermobile will be at Kroger’s in West Knoxville tomorrow (Friday). First, at 9225 Kingston Pike from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. then at 9501 South Northshore Drive from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

For more dates and locations, please go to https://www.oscarmayer.com/wienermobile

There are six Weinermobiles on the road across the U.S.

An Investigation is Underway Following a Cemetery Fire in Blount County

An Investigation is Underway Following a Cemetery Fire in Blount County

September 27, 2023
Crews work to stop crematorium fire at Maryville cemetery (Courtesy: WVLT / Canva)

Updated story: An investigation is underway into a fire at a Blount County cemetery.

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department called to the scene at Grandview Cemetery yesterday afternoon.

Fire Officials initially thought the crematorium had caught fire but believe it started in a chapel and mausoleum and at this time believe it was an accidental fire.

Original story: Maryville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE (9/27, 5:15 P.M.) A structure fire in a Blount County cemetery has now been nearly extinguished by firefighters.

Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say deputies and the Blount County Fire Department responded to a structure fire call around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. They say the fire occurred at a chapel and mausoleum at Grandview Cemetery on Tuckaleechee Pike, not at a crematorium as previously reported.

Authorities say the blaze was brought under control by 4:30 p.m. but that there was structural damage to the attic. They added that the downstairs area, where bodies laid in rest, did not appear to be damaged.

No injuries were reported.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Blount County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and the Blount County Fire Department (BCFD) are currently working to stop a fire at Grandview Cemetery.

Law enforcement officials are reporting the crematorium at the cemetery in Maryville caught fire Wednesday afternoon.

They say crews are currently working to keep people away from the scene.

More information will be released as it is obtained.

This is a developing story.

Podcasts

What's happening