Knoxville Police are asking for help to find a wanted man.
Officers are trying to find 36 year-old Virgil Cecil of Helenwood in Scott County who is wanted for felony burglary and felony theft charges.
If you know where he is, contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can be eligible to receive a cash reward.
There’s a new way for teens to get help in a mental health crisis.
CONTACT Careline helps train care counselors who answer 988 calls and they are rolling out a new way to reach teens, through a text line. It’s called Teen Line and can be messaged at 865-345-3336. This comes as more teenagers in our area are taking their lives by suicide, which is now the third leading cause of death for Tennesseans aged between 10 and 17.
Contact Careline is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officials say there’s been a growth in the number of teen suicides in Knox, Blount and Anderson counties and the reason is unclear.
An annual report on State Suicide Prevention released earlier this year shows an increase in the state suicide rate. It also shows the suicide rate for 10-17 year olds is higher than the national rate.
The report says risk factors for this age group include depression, anxiety, PTSD and parental abuse.
The McNabb Center has several resources for adults and teens, like their mobile crisis line, which gets calls from 988.
There’s also an Empath Unit open to anyone who may be in crisis. It’s inside the old St. Mary’s building, all you have to do is just walk in to get the help you need.
Scott County, TN (WOKI/WVLT) – An inmate at the Scott County Jail is facing more charges after allegedly assaulting and raping another inmate inside the jail.
WVLT reporting the victim told a detective with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office that he was assaulted several times by 26-year-old Tommy Long from August 30th to September 1st while in the same pod.
The victim alleged that Long called him a derogatory term and slapped him during the first assault then Long reportedly punched and kicked him in the ribs and back before sexually assaulting him. After this, Long “choked him out” and threatened to kill him before headbutting his forehead.
The next day, the affidavit said Long sprayed the victim in the eyes with what was thought to be cleaning spray before using another derogatory term. Following this, Long put the victim in a chokehold and punched, kicked and elbowed him repeatedly until the morning of September 1st.
Due to the severity of the assault, the victim had to be taken to the emergency room.
Long, who was booked into the jail on June 5 on multiple charges, has been charged with five counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated rape.
The case is still under investigation and additional charges are pending.
Monroe County, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said a Madisonville woman was injured on Saturday after being attacked by multiple dogs.
According to Sheriff Tommy Jones, deputies went to a home in the 2500 block of Fairview Road in Madisonville and found a 71-year-old woman lying on the front porch of the home with severe cuts to her body as a result of a dog attack.
Witnesses said there were about 10 to 15 pit bull mix dogs involved in the attack, Jones said. They, along with other bystanders, were able to corral the dogs away from the victim after the attack.
Sue Pettingill, MCSO’s public information officer, said the attack was the most vicious she had ever seen in her public safety career.
“I’ve seen dog bites, I’ve seen dog attacks, but I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Pettingill said. “Nobody would have been able to get those dogs off of themselves because there were just too many of them.”
The victim was treated on the scene before being taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for further treatment. Authorities weren’t able to share any updates on how she is doing, but Pettingill said the woman’s injuries were severe.
“I don’t know what her long-term issues are going to be from this because it was a very, very vicious attack. I’ve never seen or heard anything like this before,” Pettingill said. “There was nothing she could do. She was very vulnerable and helpless in that situation.”
Jones said detectives and animal control officers went to the scene, and after an investigation, the following people were charged:
As of Monday, Jones said Ricky Burris is on medical furlough and the other three suspects have not posted bond.
Pettingill said there have been several complaints regarding loose animals at this home before.
As a result of the investigation, 27 dogs were taken by animal control. Of those dogs, one belonged to the victim and the others, 13 adult dogs and 13 puppies, belonged to the suspects.
Pettingill said the dogs will be quarantined for two weeks, and then it will be up to he court to decide what happens to the animals after that.
Additional information was not released.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) Knoxville Area Transit, better known as KAT, is implementing a detour after a man reported a bus lane hopping to avoid traffic near Dogwood Elementary School.
KAT Marketing and Communications Manager Dylana Kent confirmed to WVLT News that someone had complained on social media and even visited KAT’s office about the issue. That person, who also reached out to WVLT, said KAT’s Route 40 bus regularly moved into the wrong lane of traffic on Moody Avenue to avoid backups.
WVLT News also reached out to the Knoxville Police Department about the bus activity. A department representative said they had recently received one complaint, but did not know of any ongoing issues.
Kent said the detour started Monday and would continue throughout the academic year when traffic gets heavy around the school. The full route can be found here.
Union County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 9/8: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the inmate who died over the weekend at the Union County Jail.
Officials say the agency was asked to investigate after 52-year-old Benjamin Hibbert, who was in custody at the jail, died on Saturday.
This investigation is separate from one launched last week after 37-year-old Justin Davis was found unresponsive in his cell on August 29. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and died on September 4.
TBI says the investigation into Davis’ death is still active and ongoing.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of an inmate at Union County Jail.
TBI says they were asked to investigate after an inmate who was in custody at the jail died on Saturday.
This investigation is separate from one launched last week after 37-year-old Justin Davis was found unresponsive in his cell on August 29. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and died on September 4. The inmate was not identified.
Clinton, TN (WOKI) Micayla Wald, the 28-year-old former employee of Kiddie Korner of Clinton Nursery and Preschool pleads not guilty Monday, September 8 to child abuse charges.
Wald is facing two counts of child abuse / neglecting a child under eight years old. The charges stem from investigations by the Clinton Police Department and the Tennessee Department of Human Services following an “incident” that injured a child at the day care.
As part of those investigations, TDHS found that staff had not reported an instance of suspected abuse to the state and that the daycare had falsified an incident form.
Wald is scheduled to appear in court again on November 3.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is launching a new program aimed at helping fill bellies across the region: Hunger Action Month.
The month-long campaign will see the food bank raise awareness of hunger in its 18-county service area. A news release from Second Harvest said the campaign was spurred by a rising prices.
“With the rising cost of living continuing to present hardships for neighbors across our service area, now is a crucial time to support Second Harvest,” the food bank said.
Those interested in participating can follow a few of the following recommendations from Second Harvest:
“In our service area alone, nearly 214,000 neighbors are food insecure, including 1 in 6 children,” says Elaine Streno, CEO of Second Harvest. “Hunger Action Month gives us a chance to take collective action by raising awareness, volunteering, and donating. Your time and your talents matter as we fight hunger and feed hope right here in East Tennessee.”
Those interested in learning more can do so here.
Megan Boswell is sentenced to serve an additional 33 years after her life sentence.
During a sentencing hearing Friday, Judge Jim Goodwin decided on sentencing for Boswell on all charges other than the first-degree murder of her toddler daughter, Evelyn Boswell.
Goodwin says he asked himself the question, is Megan Boswell, at 69 years of age coming out of prison, a risk to society? The Judge says to see how unconcerned with the fact that she took the life of her 15-month-old child, the court has to answer that question, yes.
Boswell was found guilty on 19 charges in the death of Evelyn after an 11-day trial in February. Those three murder counts were rolled into one during Friday’s sentencing hearing.
A status hearing for Boswell was scheduled for Jan. 16, 2026.
Story courtesy of https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/searching-for-sebastian-rogers
Hendersonville, TN (FBI / WOKI) – On February 26, 2024, Katie Proudfoot went to wake up her 14-year-old son for school. To her surprise, he was nowhere to be found.
Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers had spent the previous day with his mother. The pair shopped at a department store, played video games at a bowling alley, and had dinner at a local restaurant before heading home for the evening.
After returning to their home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Katie and Sebastian prepared for bed, saying goodnight sometime between 9 and 10 p.m.
“Katie told us a little bit before 10 p.m. she heard a loud bang coming from Sebastian’s room, so she yelled out to ask him if he was OK, to which he responded that he was,” said Detective Brandon Carter from the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office. “She told him to go to bed because they had to be up early for school the next morning.”
Katie called her husband, who was out of town in southwest Tennessee for work, and the two of them spoke for nearly two hours before she went to sleep around midnight.
The next morning was the beginning of what would become a massive search effort for Sebastian.
“Katie called her husband and told him that she couldn’t find Sebastian—that he wasn’t in his room or anywhere in the house,” said Carter.
Katie got into her car and drove around the neighborhood and to Sebastian’s school, which was less than a mile away from their house, searching for Sebastian before returning home.
During this time, her husband called the local emergency communication center to report Sebastian as missing.
In the early days of the search, it seemed Sebastian vanished without a trace.
“Sebastian’s disappearance has deeply affected our community. … Staying united and supportive will bring us closer to the answers that we’re looking for.”
Detective Brandon Carter, Sumner County Sheriff’s Office
“This case was kind of a question mark,” said FBI Nashville Special Agent Robert Barrett. “Mom wakes up, and he is just gone. There’s a question mark, and we’ve got to figure out what happened.”
That question mark only grew bigger as the search went on.
“Sebastian did not take any clothes, shoes, money, food, or his cell phone,” said Carter. “His cell phone and cash were both lying on the dining room table where they had been the day before, when he went to bed. According to Katie, there was a small yellow flashlight that she thinks was missing, but that was the only thing that appeared to be gone from the house.”
The first week in the search for Sebastian was a massive community and interagency effort between the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Emergency Management Agency, Hendersonville Police, Gallatin Police, Tennessee Highway Patrol, the FBI, Metro Police, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Sumner County EMS, Sumner County Emergency Response Team, and several other agencies throughout Tennessee.
“The search consisted of about a four-and-a-half-mile radius around Sebastian’s home,” said Carter. “There were roughly 2,000 searchers equipped with an app tracking their movements. The searchers could also use the app to plot things on a map that they observed while they were out searching. The total area they covered within that four-and-a-half-mile radius was equivalent to a combined 44,000 acres.”
In addition to ground searchers, law enforcement employed every available resource at their disposal to locate Sebastian: fire departments, mounted patrols, ATVs, search and rescue canines, drones, helicopters, and even an airplane.
During day two of the search, the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department reached out to the FBI for assistance and specific resources that could potentially help find Sebastian, who has high-functioning autism.
Link to Sebastian’s Missing Person Poster
“I contacted our FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team for initial consults, and then they brought in the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit to assist,” said Barrett. “The BAU shared a statistic that about 50% of autistic children are prone to wander. They are also naturally drawn to bodies of water, and 71% of fatal outcomes involving missing autistic children were a result of drowning.
“That information helped us focus search efforts in and around bodies of water. The search team drained ponds and searched waterways and lakes looking for Sebastian.”
In addition, law enforcement searched almost every home in the neighborhood. Video recordings from nearby homes and a dashboard camera in Katie’s car showed that Katie and Sebastian didn’t leave the house after their return home from dinner and that no other cars were seen coming or going from Katie’s home during the evening and early morning hours of the night or day Sebastian disappeared.
“We have followed through on every tip that has come in,” said Josh Savley, special agent in charge for the Criminal Investigation Division at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. “Some of those tips, we continue to examine at a deeper level, but the vast majority we have cleared as either being irrelevant or ended with no results.”
The lack of answers in the search for Sebastian has pushed the community to widely share the story on online platforms—but law enforcement reminds the public to be wary of misinformation from unverified sources.
“Sebastian’s disappearance has deeply affected our community,” said Carter. “We understand the desire for the community to want answers and for us to explain every step of this investigation, but we can’t release all the case details without risking the integrity of the investigation. We ask that the community refocus on what matters most, and that’s finding Sebastian. Staying united and supportive will bring us closer to the answers that we’re looking for.”
Promptly sharing tips and information with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI is the best way to help find Sebastian.
If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Sebastian Rogers, please contact the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office at 615-451-3838, or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or [email protected].
You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
“Continue to share Sebastian’s official missing persons flyer, and don’t wait,” said Sheriff Eric Craddock. “If you see something, say something immediately. If you call, right then, we can get someone on the hot trail.”
Sebastian was 5’5″ tall and around 110 to 115 pounds when he was last seen. He has brown hair and eyes that look hazel or brown. He would now be 16 years old. Sebastian has medical conditions, including autism, that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Sebastian’s whereabouts. The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and FBI are still working collaboratively, sharing tips and information, and urging the public to work with law enforcement in hopes of bringing Sebastian home.
Get information on online and offline dangers and learn how to report child abductions and sexual exploitation.
Two rumors in the search for Sebastian have been disproven.
The flashlight theory
A house down the street from Sebastian’s had security video footage from the night of his disappearance—the camera, angled in a direction that happened to be facing Sebastian’s backyard, captured two small moving lights.
At first glance, the lights appeared to be right in Sebastian’s yard, suggesting someone was lurking with two flashlights in hand—a potential suspect given Sebastian’s disappearance that same night.
However, when law enforcement further investigated the video, they disproved this theory.
Still photo from security video that shows the light source in question
The dark sky and camera angle combined had distorted the security footage. When they examined the video in relation to the topography of the area, they found that the lights were actually coming from a pair of truck headlights flickering through the trees from a street atop a hill about 300 yards. Law enforcement further investigated to confirm that the flashlights were actually headlights.
They also created an overlay of the security footage in daylight with a topographic map—in the daylight, it would have been clear that the lights were coming from the hill.
The person in the green hoodie theory
A video surfaced of Sebastian and Katie in the parking lot of the local restaurant they visited the night Sebastian disappeared. In the video, a person in a green hoodie briefly interacts with Katie. Suspicions arose that, in this short interaction, the person in the green hoodie was planning something with Katie related to Sebastian’s disappearance.
Law enforcement spoke with the employees at the restaurant, who confirmed this person in the green hoodie was a frequent customer and helped identify them. Law enforcement went to meet this person, who happened to be wearing the same green hoodie in the video, and confirmed they were not a suspect.
