Jefferson City, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 12/16: The woman at the center of a missing person alert out of Jefferson County has been found safe.
Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announcing Monday afternoon that 36-year-old Amber Nancy Cox had been located after being reported missing Sunday afternoon.
Concern had been raised as Cox is prone to seizures and was reported to have been without her medication.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help to find a missing woman.
Deputies responded to a home on Murph Road yesterday (Sunday) afternoon for a missing person call centered on 36-year-old Amber Nancy Cox.
She was last seen around 2 p.m. going to her mailbox. She was seen wearing a gray hoodie with a skull on it and blue jeans.
Also, officials say Cox has a scar on her chest and lower throat and wears glasses.
If you have any information, you are being asked to call JCSO at 865-471-6000 ext. 1109.
An investigation is underway after a three-story structure fire in Roane County.
The Roane County Office of Emergency Services & Homeland Security says several fire departments were called to the structure in the 2200 block of Ruritan Road Saturday afternoon. They found the abandoned building engulfed which has been ruled a total loss.
An employee at a Dollar General in Sweetwater is charged after he tells authorities he set a fire inside the store.
Sweetwater Police Officers went to the Dollar General store in the 800 block of North Main Street on Saturday after a fire alarm was activated.
SPD says there was smoke coming from the building, and firefighters from several departments responded.
During the investigation, it was determined the fire was intentionally set, and Andrew Helton, an employee at the Dollar General, was identified as the suspect.
Helton was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated arson.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) An East Tennessee icon could be getting a bit more help growing its population: the Eastern Hellbender Salamander.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed increased protections for the salamanders under the Endangered Species Act.
Tennessee is among 15 states in which, under the proposal, the giant salamander species would receive protections.
Since the salamander is a key player in fresh water environments, those protections would prohibit people from harming the species or removing it from its habitat.
“The eastern hellbender is a unique salamander that plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy freshwater ecosystems,” said Service Midwest Regional Director Will Meeks. “As key indicators of stream and river health, hellbenders need protection that also will help support healthier ecosystems across their range.”
The Endangered Species Act has saved around 99% of protected wildlife since its creation.
The Eastern Hellbender Salamander (Courtesy: WVLT)
Maryville, TN (WOKI) Kenneth DeHart Jr., the man accused of shooting two Blount County Sheriff’s Office deputies in February, injuring one and killing the other, could face the death penalty.
He appeared in a Blount County courtroom Friday for a formal arraignment.
The state has filed two notices, one seeking the death penalty. DeHart entered a not guilty plea on all charges.
The judge set April 13, 2026, as the trial’s start date.
BCSO Deputies Shelby Eggers and Greg McCowan stopped DeHart after he was found to be driving erratically. During the stop, the situation escalated, and DeHart reportedly shot both deputies, injuring Eggers and killing McCowan.
Kenneth DeHart, accused in Blount County deputy’s death, could face death penalty. (Courtesy: WVLT / WBXX)
A Knox County School is placed on lockdown this morning (Friday).
Officials say that L&N Stem Academy was placed on lockdown due to a law-enforcement investigation near the campus.
The school was locked down just after 9:30 a.m. and Scott Erland with the Knoxville Police Department says officers are investigating a possible threat that was near the school.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The defending national champion Tennessee Volunteers officially announced their 2025 schedule on Thursday.
This year’s regular-season slate consists of 38 home games, 15 road contests and three neutral site games.
Tennessee opens its 2025 campaign with eight straight home games, beginning with a series against Hofstra from Feb. 14-16 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Following their eight-game homestand, the Vols will travel to Houston for the 2025 Astros Foundation College Classic, which will be played at Minute Maid Park from Feb. 28 through March 2. UT will square off against a pair of NCAA regional teams in Oklahoma State (Feb. 28) and Arizona (March 2) with a game against Rice (March 1) sandwiched between.
The other two home weekend series in non-conference play include matchups against Samford (Feb. 21-23) and St. Bonaventure (March 7-9) before SEC play kicks off with a marquee home series against 2024 Men’s College World Series semifinalist Florida (March 14-16).
After back-to-back road series against 2024 regional teams in Alabama (March 20-22) and South Carolina (March 28-30), the Vols welcome Texas A&M to Knoxville from April 4-6 for a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s MCWS finals.
Tennessee’s other home conference series are against 2024 MCWS participant Kentucky (April 18-20), Auburn (May 2-4) and in-state rival Vanderbilt (May 9-11). The Vols’ remaining road series feature trips to three of the league’s most intimidating venues as they travel to take on Ole Miss (Aprill 11-13), LSU (April 25-27) and Arkansas (May 16-17).
The 2025 SEC Tournament will once again be held in Hoover, Alabama, but will feature a new format with all 16 of the league’s teams competing in a single elimination format.
In all, the Vols are slated to play 28 games against teams that reached the NCAA tournament last season (12 different opponents), including nine games against opponents that advanced to Omaha in 2024 (Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M).
Game times will be added as they become available and are subject to change. The television schedule will be released in late January or early February.
For the first time since July, American Medical Response is facing fines for not responding to Knox County emergencies on time.
The fines came in October, and AMR is citing large events, like the dynamite found at CMC Steel – a recycling facility, for the late response times. AMR says they were on the scene for 30 hours.
In October, AMR was late to 281 of the highest priority calls, resulting in more than $92,000 in adjusted fines.
Those fines stem from a new contract with Knox County which penalizes AMR if they don’t make it to calls within a set time frame.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Meals on Wheels is asking for help this holiday season brightening up seniors’ mornings with gift bags.
The organization has a program that allows people in East Tennessee to put together gift bags for seniors who will be spending the holidays at home, away from family.
Those interested are asked to put together bags with items like large pens, books, bars of soap, towels and more.
For more information and additional gift suggestions click here.
Meals on Wheels plans to deliver the bags on Christmas morning, along with a holiday meal.
