Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man is taken into custody Wednesday, July 12 after burglarizing a church.
Knoxville Police Department officials say 23-year-old Dakota Snook is accused of eating $60 worth of food and causing $500 in damage to a couch inside the Second United Methodist Church on Western Avenue.
A police report indicates the church’s staff said Snook had broken into the church four nights in a row, eating food and cooking on the church’s stove. The report also said Snook had burned a hole in a couch owned by the church.
Snook had previously faced charges for burning a flag inside another Knoxville church. He is facing burglary charges in this latest incident.
The toddler was found walking alone in the 5200 block of Asheville Highway with an unleashed golden doodle. (Courtesy: Knoxville Police Department)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A two year old child is found walking alone in Knoxville Tuesday afternoon, July 18. Now, Knoxville Police Department officials are asking for your help in finding the child’s guardians.
KPD says the toddler was found walking alone in the 5200 block of Asheville Highway with an unleashed golden doodle. The child is safe and unharmed, but Knoxville police are looking for the child’s guardians.
Anyone with information regarding the child’s caretakers is asked to call 911.
Sheryl Frost, 77, found safe following Silver Alert on July 18 (Courtesy: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
Johnson City, TN (WOKI) A 77-year-old Johnson City woman, the subject of a Silver Alert early Tuesday morning, has been found safe.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sharing that information on Facebook.
The TBI had issued the Silver Alert for Sheryl Frost on behalf of the Johnson City Police Department very early Tuesday. They noted that Frost has a medical condition that could impair her ability to return home safely without assistance.
Thousands of Tennessee students will have to pay more for their education this fall.
This comes after The Tennessee Board of Regents approved a 3% tuition increase for all 37 community and technical colleges across the state with just five weeks until classes begin.
If students receive a state or federal scholarship, the increase will not affect them.
Students urged to take advantage of financial aid that they qualify for or scholarships.
Two teens and one adult are arrested in Knoxville SWAT bust.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit along with a SWAT team made the bust and arrest of 22 year-old Tyree Bellamy and 18 year-olds Dewayne Ireland and Jayden Smith inside the home on Linden Avenue Friday night.
Officials found loaded weapons including a handgun which was converted into a machine gun, drugs and over $23,000 in cash.
All three are charged with drug and firearms charges. Bellamy also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Bald River Falls Bridge Project Rendering (Courtesy: U.S. Forest Service – Cherokee National Forest)
Tellico Plains, TN (WOKI) The Bald River Falls Bridge in Tellico Plains is closing. Constructed in 1933, the bridge is now deteriorating putting the safety of both pedestrians and vehicular traffic at risk.
“It’s not uncommon to come down there, and there’s twenty people on the bridge, taking photos” said U.S Forestry Service Public Affairs Officer Christopher Joyner. “When you pop up on the bridge, often times you’ll see somebody taking a picture and backing right into traffic. I’ve had it happen in the Forest Service rig. It’s a very dangerous situation.”
A replacement bridge, expected to be completed by summer 2024, is in the works to include an observation deck, which will allow pedestrians to use the bridge and view the falls safely.
The bridge is slated to close and work to begin on Monday, August 21.
While work is in progress, the bridge and adjacent areas will be closed to foot and vehicular traffic, but Tellico River Road will remain open.
Kingsport, TN (WOKI) A months-long investigation results in charges in the overdose death of a Kingsport woman.
In a release issued Monday, July 17, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a multi-agency investigation was launched in February after then 30 year-old Ashley Way was found dead in an apartment on Bloomingdale Pike in Kingsport.
That investigation determined that Jamichale Faine, Megan Newland, and William Way, the victim’s father, were responsible for providing Ashley Way with the fentanyl that led to her death.
Each of the suspects are charged with one count of second-degree murder; they were arrested last week and booked into the Sullivan County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
Metro Drug Coalition is partnering with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to focus on Knox County’s senior population with the announcement of a new medication mail-back program and the return of the Aging Adult Resource Fair. Both initiatives aim to provide aging adults with resources to better their lives and improve their safety.
The new medication mail-back program will allow seniors to place unwanted or expired medications in an envelope and send it in for safe disposal from their homes. Metro Drug Coalition is providing the mail-back envelopes and postage free of charge. These secure envelopes will be delivered directly to homebound seniors by The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Senior Citizen Awareness Network (SCAN). The unwanted medications are mailed to American Rx Group, which operates in compliance with all DEA regulations and requirements for medication mail-back.
The 2021 Drug Related Death Report revealed people over the age of 55 saw the sharpest increase in drug-related deaths in Knox County, including a 150% increase in those over the age of 75. These increases make proper disposal of medications more important now than ever. MDC’s medication mail-back program gives those seniors who are unable to attend in-person take back events the opportunity to make their homes safer by reducing the risk of accidental ingestion of both household and prescription medication.
For those seniors who are able to attend in person, Metro Drug Coalition and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office will also hold their quarterly Aging Adult Resource Fair on July 21, 2023 at the South Knox Senior Center from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This event offers another opportunity to dispose of unwanted and expired medications safely, while also providing a variety of resources for both seniors and their caregivers in a one-stop shop. According to the 2022 Advance Knox State of the County Report, people aged 55 and over is the fastest growing demographic group in Knox County. This event is an opportunity to connect that population with the services available to them to help combat problems often faced by aging adults, including financial, social, emotional, and medical challenges.
Nearly thirty vendors will be in attendance, including the CAC Office on Aging Rise Above Crime Program and Volunteer Assisted Transportation, Knox County Public Library, Senior Financial Group, Concord Adult Day Enrichment Program, and others. Paper Bee Gone will also be there to offer free document shredding.
Knoxville Police are investigating after two dead bodies are found inside a building on the Knoxville College campus.
After an unrelated fire was extinguished by Knoxville Fire Department crews, KPD officers also responding yesterday (Sunday) to a report that there were two bodies in a building separate from where the fire had occurred.
Officers did find a man and woman dead inside that building.
KPD says foul play is not suspected at this time.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating that fire at Knoxville College.
Crews called to the scene yesterday (Sunday) morning on the reported of a dormitory being on fire. Crews found a small fire with heavy smoke coming from the building. The building was already in poor condition from multiple previous fires and received moderate fire damage due to this fire.
