A Maryville man is convicted of assaulting police, among other felony and misdemeanor charges, during 2021’s January 6th breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The FBI says 35-year-old Edward Kelley was found guilty of three felonies, destruction of government property and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
Kelley joined a growing list of people who stormed the Capitol after the 2020 election, upset with election results.
The FBI pointed to several videos which showed Kelley entering the building and assaulting officers.
So far, more than 1,500 people have been charged for crimes related to January 6th.
Maryville, TN (WOKI) One man is dead and a woman is injured following a shooting Thursday morning at the office of adult probation in Maryville.
Officials with the Maryville Police Department say an active shooter call prompted a large police response around 10:00 a.m. at Blount County’s adult probation office.
The caller told police that two people, a man and a woman, had been shot; they were later identified as 39-year-old Brian Steven Yates and 43-year-old Rikki Nicole Allen.
MPD says Yates shot Allen then himself. Officials add that the two share two children, but neither were present during the shooting.
No other injuries were reported, and the investigation is ongoing.
Scene safe after shooting in Maryville, police say. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Monroe County, TN (WOKI) The wife of a man accused in a Monroe County murder has been arrested.
Nicholas Hamlett made headlines after he was accused of murdering 34-year-old Steven Lloyd, making a fake call to 911 claiming he was a distressed hiker, then fleeing the state; he was taken into custody on Sunday.
According to charging documents, Hamlett’s wife, Taylor Fiber, is now facing numerous charges including lying to police concerning her husband’s identity and helping Hamlett evade capture by purchasing him a bus ticket to South Carolina so he could flee the state.
Fiber’s arrest warrant also states she warned Hamlett that law enforcement was on the lookout for him.
Nicholas Wayne Hamlett made headlines after he was accused of murdering 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd, making a fake call to 911 claiming he was a distressed hiker, then fleeing the state. (Courtesy: TBI)
Greeneville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 11/14: The verdict is in for Sean Williams. The federal trial undertaken this week in East Tennessee for Williams who prompted a month-long manhunt after escaping custody in October of 2023.
The 55-year-old Williams found guilty on all counts after less than 30 minutes of jury deliberation Thursday in his child sex crimes trial.
Williams faces a minimum of 15 years on each count and a maximum of 30 years on each.
The former Johnson City businessman is charged with three federal counts of child sex crimes; specifically, court documents said he had several pictures and videos of minors that he assaulted in Johnson City.
Williams’ case also prompted a lawsuit against Johnson City, which claimed police officers knew about his crimes but never charged him.
The department has denied the allegations.
ORIGINAL STORY: After a series of delays and an eleventh-hour rejection of a plea deal Tuesday, the federal trial for child sex crimes suspect Sean Williams is underway in Greeneville.
The 55-year-old Williams led law enforcement on a manhunt after escaping custody in October of 2023 while being transported from Laurel County, Kentucky to Greeneville, Tennessee.
Williams was later taken into custody and charged with three federal counts of child sex crimes. Specifically, court documents said he had several pictures and videos of minors that he assaulted in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Apart from the charges Williams faces, his case also prompted a lawsuit against Johnson City, which claimed police officers knew about his crimes but never charged him. The department has denied the allegations.
Sean Williams is arrested after fleeing custody. (Courtesy: Avery Jordan | Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Head coach Karen Weekly and the Tennessee softball program announced its complete 2025 schedule on Thursday. The Lady Vols had previously released their opening weekend and Southeastern Conference contests earlier in the fall.
The Lady Vols will host 24 games at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, with 15 road games and 13 neutral-site matchups. Tennessee is set to play 13 teams and 29 games against opponents that reached the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Of those 13 teams, six reached the Super Regionals, with four advancing to the Women’s College World Series. Two teams – Oklahoma and Texas – faced each other in the WCWS Championship Series.
Tennessee softball will open its season in Clearwater, Florida, for the second time in the past three seasons, taking part in the 2025 NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
Opening Day for the Big Orange will be Thursday, Feb. 6, as it faces Nebraska at 7 p.m. ET. UT will also play Bethune-Cookman, Iowa, Notre Dame, Northwestern*, and Pittsburgh in the season’s first weekend.
The second weekend of February sees Tennessee travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Beaumont, Texas, for a split tournament at McNeese State and Lamar (Feb. 14-16). The Orange & White will play McNeese State, Tulsa, Lamar, and Nicholls State.
Moving west, Tennessee heads back to Cathedral City, California, for the second year in a row for the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Feb. 20-22. Games against Oregon*, Oregon State, Rutgers, UCLA*, and Minnesota await the Lady Vols in The Golden State.
UT opens at home on Feb. 26 against Radford before hosting Delaware State, Indiana State, and UT-Martin in the Tennessee Classic, Feb. 28-March 2.
The remaining non-conference slate includes a midweek contest against Duke* (March 11), followed by a three-game series against UConn (March 14-16). The Lady Vols’ annual trip to Columbia, Tennessee, for the Mid-State Classic is set for March 18.
Western Carolina (April 1) and Clemson* (April 22) round out UT’s final midweek matchups.
In conference play, the two-time defending SEC champion Lady Vols begin their title defense on the road against Georgia* (March 7-9). Tennessee’s other road series will feature contests at Oklahoma* (March 28-30), Texas* (April 11-13), and Ole Miss* (April 25-27).
Tennessee’s home slate starts with Arkansas* (March 22-24), followed by Mississippi State* (April 4-6) and Auburn* (April 17-19), before wrapping up the regular season with Texas A&M* (May 1-3).
The 2025 SEC Tournament will be held at Georgia’s Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 6, with the championship game slated to be played on Saturday, May 10.
Single-game tickets for Lady Vols softball will go on sale mid-January. Fans interested in group tickets should visit this LINK.
All dates and times for the 2025 schedule are subject to change.
There is an update and the murder case of a 13-year-old girl in Powell.
Prosecutors say the 15-year-old suspect Malakiah Harris could be tried as an adult during a preliminary hearing yesterday (Wed). Steps are in motion to transfer him to adult court.
Judge Tim Irwin says this could take a while, Harrris will appear in court again next year in January.
He is accused of stabbing a 13 year-old girl to death in Broadacres Subdivision on October 22nd.
A Knoxville man is in custody after a lengthy police chase.
35 year-old Anthony Dennis is facing several charges, including felony reckless endangerment, after the chase.
He was spotted by police Friday night at his home on Langly Place and officers who tried to take him into custody for an existing warrant but he left the scene in his car on Parkside Drive “driving extremely erratic.”
From there, the report outlines how Dennis drove through residential neighborhoods, along Kingston Pike and even on Pellissippi Parkway in the wrong direction.
During the chase, which spanned several officers as they made the decision to pull back and others reengaged, Dennis drove dangerously.
Officers outlined how Dennis swerved in front of cars while driving in the wrong direction, moving out of the way at the last second to avoid hitting them before he eventually crashed on Ball Camp Byington Road in the Hardin Valley area.
According to the report, Dennis then tried to run on foot, but was caught by an officer’s K9.
Dennis is wanted out of Virginia for a felony violation of parole.
An investigation is underway following a house fire in South Knoxville.
The Knoxville Fire Department called to the fire in the 2600 block of Bafford Place last night (Wednesday) and found a small fire near the home’s fireplace which had extended into the attic space.
The home has suffered moderate smoke, water and fire damage.
Everyone inside including several dogs were able to escape uninjured.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) American Medical Response and the Metro Drug Coalition are leading a new initiative aimed at decreasing emergency response times in the Knoxville area.
AMR, which provides ambulance service to Knox County, together with MDC and several other agencies have formed the Mission District Medical Team to address, specifically, medical needs among the city’s homeless population which don’t actually require an emergency response.
The team is collaborating to offer services like wound care, drug resources and STI tests every Tuesday and is comprised of responders with:
AMR
The Knox County Health Department
The Knoxville Fire Department
Knoxville Area Project Access
The Metro Drug Coalition
AMR has long pointed to the Mission District, the area on North Broadway underneath the I-40 overpass near Knox Area Rescue Ministries and The Salvation Army, as a reason for increased ambulance wait times.
Leaders behind the project said they are hopeful this effort will reduce the number of non-emergency hospital visits, in turn freeing up resources and improving response time.
Collaboration between Knoxville agencies aims to lower response times in Knox County. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police are investigating the fifth fatal motorcycle crash in less than a month, this one on Western Avenue with speed believed to be a contributing factor.
The crash happened Tuesday night at Knoxville College Drive involving a motorcycle and a pickup truck.
The investigation revealed that the motorcycle was going west on Western Avenue at speeds possibly in excess of 100 miles per hour when it collided with the rear of a pickup truck, which had turned onto Western Avenue from 21st Street prior to the collision.
The motorcycle driver, a 35-year-old man, was taken to UT Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The crash happened Tuesday night, around 7:45, on Western Avenue at Knoxville College Drive. (Frankly Media)
