Updated story: Sevierville, TN (WOKI) – At approximately 4:30 p.m. yesterday, April 23, 2025, Sevierville Police Department officers responded to Hilltop Child Development Center, 1217 Fox Meadows Boulevard in Sevierville, Tennessee in reference to a man reportedly brandishing a firearm in the parking lot and possibly carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint. When SPD officers arrived, they located the suspect in a Jeep parked near the front doors of the child development center. After a brief standoff, he was taken into custody.
Children and staff were present inside the business at the time of this incident, however no one was harmed or injured. No shots were fired by the suspect or police officers. The suspect had two handguns in his possession.
Detectives have learned that the suspect, 27-year old Tyler Dufrene, had allegedly kidnapped his girlfriend on the evening of April 22, 2025 and subsequently released her on April 23. They took her two children to Hilltop Child Development Center during the morning on April 23. On the way to pick up the children that afternoon, he allegedly demanded that she drive him to New Orleans, however she drove to the development center instead and upon arrival ran from the vehicle into the development center. He reportedly followed, with a firearm, into the building but was unable to locate her. Security protocols in place at the development center prevented him from being able to access areas where children were located. He then left the building and carjacked the Jeep at gunpoint.
“The safety and security procedures that the development center had in place may have prevented this incident from becoming an active shooter or hostage situation within the building,” said SPD Chief Joseph Manning. “The actions of the development center staff and quick, decisive response from SPD officers were outstanding.” Chief Manning also thanks the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Hodges for offering their assistance.
Mr. Dufrene has been charged with carjacking, especially aggravated kidnapping, unlawful possession of a weapon, aggravated domestic assault, and burglary. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.
All persons are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Original Story: The Sevierville Police Department says an armed man has been arrested outside of a day care center.
Authorities went to the Hilltop Child Development Center on Fox Meadows Boulevard at around yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) after a 911 call reported a man was in the day care’s parking lot with a gun.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the man near the front door of the day care with a gun, and he was taken into custody without incident.
No shots were fired, and no injuries were reported.
DALLAS – Tennessee’s Nate Snead was tabbed as one of the nation’s top relief pitchers Wednesday afternoon, earning a spot on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Snead was one of 56 players named to the midseason watch list for the award, which is presented annually to the top reliever in college baseball.
The Wisconsin native enters this weekend’s series at LSU leading all UT non-starting pitchers with 34.2 innings pitched to go along with a team-high three saves.
The junior righthander has posted a 3-0 record with a 3.37 ERA in 13 appearances while recording 28 strikeouts. Snead was on the preseason watch list for the award after earning first-team All-America honors from the NCBWA last year.
The SEC led all conferences with nine players on the midseason watch list. The full list can be seen HERE.
The NCBWA will announce the finalists for the award on Wednesday, June 4, with the winner being named on Friday, June 13 at the 2025 Men’s College World Series.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, in coordination with more than 4,400 law enforcement partners across the country, will host the 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering communities across the United States a safe, convenient, and anonymous way to dispose of unneeded prescription medications.
With nearly 4,500 collection sites nationwide, Take Back Day aims to reduce the risk of prescription drug misuse by helping Americans safely remove expired, unwanted, or unused medications from their homes—medications that might otherwise be misused.
Kroger will once again be hosting drug take-back events across Tennessee.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, and Kroger is allowing people to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription medications.
Kroger’s healthcare division, Kroger Health, has partnered with the Cardinal Health Foundation and local law enforcement since 2018 to host the events across the country.
“At Cardinal Health, we are committed to creating a healthier future for all communities,” said Jessie Cannon, president of the Cardinal Health Foundation. “Supporting Kroger Health on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day allows us to provide a safe and accessible way for people to dispose of unwanted medications, while also educating the public about medication safety and reducing the risk of accidental misuse.”
The event’s goal is to offer safe ways to dispose of medications to save lives and keep communities cleaner.
“As many people use this time of year to participate in spring cleaning, this is the perfect opportunity to check their medicine cabinets for expired medications or medications they are no longer using,” said Brenda Barnes, Kroger’s Division Health and Wellness Leader. “Each year, Drug Take Back Day provides us with an opportunity to show our commitment to creating healthier communities by providing a space for anyone to safely dispose of these unused and or expired prescription or nonprescription drugs.”
The events are this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following Kroger locations:
7615 US Highway 70, Bartlett 1203 Murfreesboro Rd, Franklin 845 Nashville Pike, Gallatin 2011 Nashville Pike, Gallatin 7735 Farmington Blvd, Germantown 237 E Main St, Hendersonville 1010 Glenbrook Way, Hendersonville 35 West University Pkwy, Jackson 220 Wears Valley Rd, Pigeon Forge 234 East Emory Rd, Powell 3444 Plaza Ave, Memphis 799 Truse Pkwy, Memphis 510 Highway 76, White House
Local law enforcement will be on site to accept unused or expired medication during this time. To learn more about the events, visit here. (Kroger take back story is courtesy of WVLT)
The Oak Ridge Police Department is partnering with the Scarboro Community to host a drug takeback event.
“Drop off items can be: tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, and liquids,” organizers said. “They will be accepted in their packaging, so no need to take them out of their packages or containers.”
Sharp needles nor syringes will be accepted.
“Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue,” officials said. “Proper disposal of unneeded drugs saves lives and protects the environment and our community.”
It takes place during the Community Share Day on April 26, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center.
It’s just one of many locations participating in Drug Takeback Day. (ORPD take back story is courtesy of WVLT)
For sixteen years, the DEA has worked with state and local partners to make safe medication disposal accessible to everyone, helping communities prevent prescription drug misuse and raise awareness of the dangers of keeping unneeded medications in the home.
“Disposing of unneeded, expired medications helps us protect the safety and health of our communities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz. “Families can minimize the risk of medications falling into the wrong hands by simply bringing unused medications to one of the 4,500 drop-off locations this Saturday. National Prescription Drug Take Bay Day would not be possible without our incredible local and state law enforcement partners and the community groups who work every year to make Take Back Day a success.”
“I encourage everyone to join us this weekend and participate in Take Back Day,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “The small act of cleaning out your home medicine cabinet can have a big impact on the safety of our community by keeping addictive medications away from those who might abuse them.”
DEA and its partners will accept tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids, such as cough syrups, must remain tightly sealed in their original containers. Take Back Day locations will accept vaping devices and cartridges if the lithium batteries are removed. Syringes, sharps, and illicit substances will not be collected.
According to The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications.
In October 2024, DEA and its partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of medications. Since the program’s inception in 2010, more than 19.2 million pounds of medications have been collected and safely destroyed.
Find a collection site near you for Saturday’s event by visiting www.DEATakeBack.com.
For those unable to participate on April 26, nearly 17,000 pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and law enforcement locations offer year-round drug disposal options across the country to ensure Every Day is Take Back Day.
Jefferson County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: A man at the center of a missing person search in Jefferson County has been found.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office had been searching Wednesday for 37-year-old Michael Woodard who they feared was suicidal.
JCSO officials announcing Wednesday afternoon that Woodard has been found safe.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing man.
JCSO officials say 37-year-old Michael Woodard is a white man who has multiple identifying tattoos including the name “Christian” on one arm and “Alexander” on the other, and a Pitbull tattooed on the outer calf.
JCSO says Woodard may be driving a silver Nissan Rouge with TN tag 1UF516, adding that he may be suicidal.
Anyone with information is asked to contact JCSO Det. Lt. Robby McMahan at 865-471-6000 ext. 1105.
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could see delays on the Spur over the next two weeks.
Park officials Wednesday announcing temporary, single-lane closures on both the northbound and southbound lanes of the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge beginning Saturday, April 26 and continuing on the following dates:
April 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon
April 28 – May 1 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 5-8 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The closures will be in place to allow crews to mow, clean ditches, remove trees and fallen branches and pick up litter and debris.
Officials ask that drivers reduce their speeds, use extra caution and anticipate delays while crews are working.
Click here for more information on road, facility and trail closures within the park.
File photo of the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Powell, TN (WOKI) Whether or not a 15-year-old boy will be tried as an adult for the murder last October of a 13-year-old girl in Powell will not be decided until next year.
That ruling handed down Tuesday during Malakiah Lamar Harris’s appearance in Knox County Juvenile Court.
Harris has been charged with second degree murder in the stabbing death of Savannah Copeland on October 22, 2024 in the Broadacres Subdivision.
The court deciding Tuesday that Harris will appear some time between Jan. 20 and Jan. 23 for a transfer hearing, at which time the court will decide whether to try him as an adult.
Harris appears in court next on July 23.
Hearing set to decide if teen charged in Powell murder will be tried as adult. (Courtesy: WVLT)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee led the nation in combined attendance across football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball during 2024-25 regular season competition.
“We say this regularly, and the numbers clearly confirm it: Knoxville is undeniably America’s College Sports City,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White. “The tremendous support from our fan base is extraordinary and we are immensely grateful for the powerful home-field advantage they provide to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff on Rocky Top.”
A total of 1,234,843 fans attended Tennessee’s 41 regular season home games across the three sports, good for over 99,000 above second-place Michigan. Just six schools—the other four were Ohio State, LSU, South Carolina and Texas—eclipsed one million fans in cumulative home attendance.
Tennessee finished as the lone school in America to average over 30,000 fans per game across the three sports during the regular season, notching a 30,118 mark. Second-place Michigan (29,110) and third-place Ohio State (28,278) were the only other schools to even surpass a 26,000 mark.
The only school in America to rank even top-15 nationally in cumulative attendance and/or average attendance during the regular season in all three sports, Tennessee finished top-six in every category.
Across its seven football games, Tennessee drew a total of 713,405 fans to rank sixth nationally during the regular season. The Volunteers’ average mark of 101,915 also placed sixth. Seven of the top 19 SEC single-game attendance marks in 2024-25 came at Neyland Stadium, which featured a sellout each time Tennessee took the field.
In men’s basketball, a total of 340,436 fans came to see Tennessee play in its 17 home games, good for third-most in the country. The Volunteers also ranked third with 20,026 fans per contest and were one of only three teams to post a mark above 19,000. Tennessee, which tied a single-season record with eight sellouts, hosted eight of 18 highest-attended games of the regular season, including two of the top four. It drew the eight largest single-game home crowds of any SEC school.
Tennessee placed fourth in the country in women’s basketball with 181,002 fans attending its 17 regular season home games. The Lady Volunteers’ average crowd of 10,647 ranked fifth. Tennessee also hosted the sixth-highest-attended non-conference regular season game in the sport, including the second-highest between Power Five opponents.
In addition, Tennessee (1,053,841) was one of only three schools to surpass one million fans in regular season home attendance in just football and men’s basketball, alongside Michigan (1,076,487) and Ohio State (1,030,565).
Meanwhile, Tennessee was the only institution to rank top-five in regular season cumulative and/or average attendance in both men’s and women’s basketball, with Indiana the lone other school to place even top-10 on each list.
Additionally, Tennessee led the country in regular season combined attendance in men’s and women’s basketball both cumulatively (521,438) and on average (15,336). It was the only school to eclipse the 500,000 mark, while just three others—South Carolina (470,091), Indiana (469,297) and Kentucky (443,512)—even surpassed 400,000. It was the only institution above a 15,000 average, with only three others—South Carolina (14,245), Indiana (13,803) and Kentucky (13,004)—above 13,000.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and/or volleyball can visit the Season Ticket Info page and then select a sport to learn more.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee star Zakai Zeigler is the Tennessee Sportswriters Association (TSWA) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday morning.
Zeigler garnered 12 of the 20 votes, with players from Tennessee schools across all levels of college basketball considered.
This is the third time in the last seven years a won Volunteer the award, including the second in a row. Zeigler follows Dalton Knecht (2023-24) and Grant Williams (2018-19).
A Third Team All-America designee from all four official outlets, Zeigler finished seventh nationally in EvanMiya.com’s national player rankings and just outside the top 10 on KenPom.com’s list. He won SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row, the third player ever to do so.
One of four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Zeigler earned First Team All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches for the second consecutive year. The senior guard was an NABC First Team All-Central District and SEC All-Tournament choice.
Zeigler averaged 13.6 points, 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game during his final collegiate campaign. He set the SEC single-season record with 275 assists, breaking the tally of 260 that stood since 1980.
A 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler finished his career with Tennessee records for assists (747) and steals (251). Those numbers place him third and co-ninth, respectively, on the SEC all-time list. He is the only player in conference history to amass 1,500 points, 700 assists, 350 rebounds and 250 steals.
Zeigler’s play helped Tennessee go 30-8 (12-6 SEC) and tie a program record with a fifth-place finish in the national polls. He aided the Volunteers to a second straight Elite Eight trip during a season in which they spent five weeks atop at No. 1 nationally and defeated a program-best seven AP top-15 foes, including four in the top seven.
Chattanooga’s Dan Earl won TSWA Coach of the Year. On the women’s side, Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes collected the player honor and Union’s Mark Campbell won coaching plaudits.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
An investigation is underway following a fatal crash on North Broadway.
Knoxville Police Officers were called to the 1700 block of North Broadway early this morning (Wednesday) and found a Jeep on fire and flipped on its side.
Preliminary investigation shows that a car was attempting to pull left into the Kenjo gas station, driving into the path of the Jeep.
The passenger of the Jeep, a 22-year-old man, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. The driver of that vehicle, 22-year-old William Gavigan, showed several signs of intoxication.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment and arrested for driving under the influence.
The driver of the car, a 32-year-old man, refused treatment.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 4/6 Tennessee got off to a fast start and never looked back in an 11-1 run-rule win over Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Five different Vols had multi-hit performances as the team finished with 14 total hits on the night while the pitching staff held the Bisons to a single run on just five hits.
Andrew Fischer drove in three of UT’s first four runs with a two-run homer to open the scoring in the bottom of the first before plating another run with an RBI single in the third. The junior first basemen led all players with three hits and three RBIs for the game and continued his impressive on-base streak, which now stands at 44 consecutive games dating back to the end of last year.
Efficiency on the Mound
Austin Breedlove got the start on the mound and provided the Vols with three scoreless innings to get things rolling, allowing just two hits while striking out four batters. Lefty Michael Sharman was the first arm out of the bullpen and followed Breedlove’s lead with three shutout frames of his own to pick up the win.
Loving the Long Ball
After a frustrating weekend at the plate against Kentucky, the Volunteers looked like themselves in Tuesday’s win, leaving the yard four times while racking up seven extra-base hits in the win over Lipscomb.
Hunter Ensley, Cannon Peebles and Levi Clark joined Fischer in the home run parade, with Clark’s two-run blast capping a six-run seventh inning to send the run-rule into effect.
Tuesday’s game marked the eighth this season in which Tennessee has homered four or more times.
Back in Black
UT broke out its “Dark Mode” uniforms for the first time this season, donning the popular black tops and hats that it wore throughout its postseason run to a national championship last year.
Up Next
Tennessee travels to Baton Rouge for a top-10 showdown against No. 3/7 LSU at Alex Box Stadium this weekend. Friday’s series opener is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET start on SEC Network+ while Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPNU and Sunday’s finale is slated to be broadcast on the SEC Network.
