Two people connected to the robbery and murder of a Rockwood man are found guilty on murder charges.

Kendra Ivey reportedly confessed to investigators with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office of “setting up” Victor Letner to be robbed by Charlie Martinez.

Letner was last seen in Rockwood on February 7 of 2021.

KCSO says Letner went to Knox County to meet Kendra Ivey who took him to a vacant house on Kodak Road, where Martinez reportedly robbed, shot and killed Letner.

Ivey pled to first degree murder and Martinez was found guilty on all charges and convicted of first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Martinez was sentenced to life in prison on the murder charge and the sentencing for the other charges will be held on April 20 for both suspects.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 1.5 million above the park’s ten-year average, and more than the visitation of Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks combined. This marks the fourth time the park has exceeded 12 million yearly visits. 

“The 2022 visitation report confirms what we have long known to be true—Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to be a special place for millions of visitors,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “We are thinking about what average visitation over the last ten years means for the next ten years and how we will preserve a high-quality visitor experience as well as park resources.” 

The new Park it Forward parking tag program  https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-announces-early-sale-of-park-it-forward-annual-parking-tags.htm will generate much-needed revenues to improve visitor services and address longstanding maintenance needs in alignment with annual fluctuations in visitation. Starting March 1, the park will implement the parking tag program. Any vehicle parked anywhere in the park will need to display a $5 daily, $15 weekly, or $40 annual parking tag. 100% of the revenue from the parking tag program will stay in the park to improve visitor services. Another change this year to improve the visitor experience will be increased shuttle services. Several local companies will offer shuttles to some of the park’s most popular locations in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and increase parking safety. 

In addition to purchasing parking tags and taking shuttles, visitors can help take care of their park by planning ahead and coming prepared with alternative destinations in mind if parking is not available at desired sites. With over 800 miles of trails and more than 380 miles of scenic roadways, visitors have many options for other locations that offer first-rate experiences. And carefully choosing the time of day, time of week, and time of year can help improve the chances to find safe parking. May through October are the busiest months in the park, and weekends and holidays are the busiest days.  

Since 2012, the park has averaged almost 11.5 million visits every year. Visitation to the Smokies reached its highest level ever with more than 14 million visits in 2021. 

Updated Story: The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says Highway 70 West is back open at Highway 321 following a large gas leak in Lenior City earlier today.

Lenoir City Utilities Board officials say electric crews hit a six-inch gas line.

The leak in the area of Highway 321 and Old America Road.

Officials were monitoring fumes near North Middle School but no action was necessary.

Original Story: A large gas leak in Lenior City will have Highway 70 at Highway 321 while crews repair the busted gas line.

Lenoir City Utilities Board officials say electric crews hit a six-inch gas line and gas crews are working to repair it.

The leak is in the area of Highway 321 and Old America Road.
The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says Highway 70 West at 321 is shut down and they expect it to remained closed for several hours.

Officials are also monitoring fumes near North Middle School but there’s no word on a lockdown or similar action at this time.

The women’s basketball team at Fulton High School came out on top in their playoff game against Lenoir City, but it wasn’t without a chaotic scene in the final moments.

With 2:30 left, sophomore player for Lenoir City Taylor Hafner made an and-one layup, and immediately after, a fight broke out between her and a player for Fulton.

According to a TSSAA report Taylor Hafner, along with three Fulton players were ejected from the game and all of the fans were asked to leave the gym while both teams finished the game.

“I think it’s any parent’s worst nightmare to see their child getting involved in any fight,” said Taylor’s mom Sarah Hafner.

The TSSAA hasn’t released their findings on what exactly led up to punches being thrown and officers having to restrain parents and players.

“She sort of came back around and let out a big ‘argh’ and then came head to head with the girl that was guarding her,” said Sarah Hafner as she described what happened from her perspective before the fight began.

WVLT News reached out to the Fulton Athletic Director as well as multiple parents in attendance from Fulton High School for comment, but they have not responded.

The game was held at Austin-East High School as a neutral site for the playoff game.

TSSAA has not released its decision on any suspensions or punishments from the fight at this time.

Story and photo courtesy of WVLT