One person is facing charges following a police chase after a failed traffic stop in Blount County.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a crash on Chapman Highway Friday night started as a traffic stop Old Knoxville Highway near Sam Houston School Road because deputies were suspicious the car was stolen.
30-year-old Joshua Mayes, refused to pull over, prompting the chase and crashed into another car head-on near Chapman Highway and Governor John Sevier Highway.
Mayes was taken into custody and charged with two counts of vehicular assault, DUI and aggravated assault.
Two passengers and the driver of the other car involved in the crash were injured. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says Mayes is the only person facing charges..
One person is facing charges following a police chase after a failed traffic stop in Blount County.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a crash on Chapman Highway Friday night started as a traffic stop Old Knoxville Highway near Sam Houston School Road because deputies were suspicious the car was stolen.
30-year-old Joshua Mayes, refused to pull over, prompting the chase and crashed into another car head-on near Chapman Highway and Governor John Sevier Highway.
Mayes was taken into custody and charged with two counts of vehicular assault, DUI and aggravated assault.
Two passengers and the driver of the other car involved in the crash were injured. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says Mayes is the only person facing charges.
Greenback, TN (WOKI) The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is warning of major traffic delays near Maple Lane Farms as the Rock the Country Music Festival rolls into town this weekend.
The sheriff’s office says the festival is expected to bring between 12 and 15 thousand people to Greenback.
Officials remind you that traffic will be impacted in and around the area of Maple Lane Farms beginning Thursday, April 24 and continuing through Sunday, April 27 as big name performers including Nickelback, Kid Rock and Lynard Skynyrd draw crowds to the area.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office also provided a map via social media detailing the traffic pattern into and around the venue, including where deputies will be stationed (see below).
Additionally, Sheriff James Lee Berrong reminds all festival goers of the office’s “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to those who decide to break the law while at the festival.
“Sheriff Berrong would like to remind festival goers to have a good time while staying safe and exhibiting good citizenship,” the post said. “There will be a zero-tolerance policy in place for attendees who do not abide by the law and who refuse to use common sense.”
Rock the Country music festival to impact Blount County traffic. (Courtesy: BCSO)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville-Knox County Design Review Board has passed a proposal to bring a parking garage and apartments to the Old City.
The proposal comes from Nick Patel of Turkey Creek Hospitality and outlines buildings that would be located at 207 E. Jackson Avenue which is currently a parking lot. That location is also just down the street from Knoxville’s new multi-use stadium, Covenant Health Park.
Patel’s proposal includes five stories of apartments above one story of retail with an adjacent six-story parking garage.
The board recommended the project with a few conditions, outlined below:
Patel needs to provide more information about the ground-level utilities area
The parking garage needs screen on the north and west elevations
The final plan needs to meet city engineering standards
Patel needs to resubmit signage as another application
The final elevation drawings need to meet city zoning codes
Knoxville-Knox County design board approves Old City apartments, parking garage. (Courtesy: WVLT | Jared Austin)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department Tuesday alerting you to a fake post making the rounds on social media which officials say is sparking concern.
The post claims that a two year-old child was dumped on the side of a Knoxville road and is currently with officers. It also features the tagline “bump this post,” a sign it is likely false or a scam.
KPD says the department “has not received any reports or responded to any calls of this nature.”
Monroe County, TN (WOKI) Nine people are in custody after two drug busts in Monroe County.
Sheriff Tommy Jones says narcotics detectives executed the first search Monday in the Gamble Gap area of Tellico Plains. There, detectives found four grams of fentanyl, other drugs and several guns.
Later in the afternoon, detectives executed another warrant in Vonore, finding another 20 grams of fentanyl and more firearms.
Suspects have not been identified.
Nine people in custody after Monroe County drug busts, sheriff says. (Courtesy: Sheriff Tommy Jones)
IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced that three Tennessee Volunteers were tabbed as members of the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Will Brooks, Keenan Pili and Javontez Spraggins represented UT on the list of a record 2,532 players from 339 colleges and universities who qualified for membership in 2025.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must meet one of the following criteria:
Be a senior player graduating this spring/summer who completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2024; or
Be a graduated player or grad transfer who has already earned a bachelor’s degree and competed in the 2024 season (even if the player has remaining eligibility and may return to play next season).
And must have:
Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
Been starters or contributors throughout the 2024 season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 772 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Tennessee has totaled 14 NFF Hampshire Honor Society recognitions during the Josh Heupel era (2021-present). Pili and Spraggins join Jacob Warren as the only Vols to receive the distinction multiple times in their careers.
Brooks rounded out his five-year career as a cornerstone of the Tennessee defense this past fall, starting all 13 games at safety while ranking second on the team with 59 tackles and nine passes defended. The former walk-on was selected as a semifinalist for the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy and was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll who earned his undergraduate degree in finance in May 2024.
Pili served as captain of the Tennessee defense during the 2024 campaign and demonstrated impactful leadership throughout his entire tenure on Rocky Top. The seventh-year senior linebacker started the first six games of the 2024 season before sustaining a season-ending injury and was later named a semifinalist for the NFF Campbell Trophy. A two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, Pili received his master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication from Tennessee in May 2024.
Spraggins was a staple of the Tennessee offensive line in each of the past four seasons, holding down the right guard spot with 48 career starts. He produced an All-SEC campaign during his final season in Knoxville, starting all 13 contests for a unit that led the conference in rushing offense for the second straight year. The East St. Louis, Illinois, native was a five-time member of the SEC Honor Roll and two-time University of Tennessee graduate – earning his undergraduate degree in sociology before receiving his master’s in agricultural leadership, education and communication.
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF / WVLT) – Two people from Tennessee were behind bars in the Pee Dee after leading deputies on a chase over the weekend.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office said Mara Ivey, of Caryville, and Charles Owens, of Lafollette, were arrested Saturday. Both were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, while Ivey was additionally charged with failure to stop for a blue light.
Mara Ivey, Charles Owens(Florence County Detention Center)
The sheriff’s office said a deputy was on patrol near Johnsonville on Saturday when they received a report about a stolen vehicle from Marion County entering the area. A FLOCK camera alert was issued for the vehicle, with the deputy later locating it on Highway 378 near Kingsburg.
Authorities said the deputy tried stopping the vehicle, but the driver instead led them on a chase near New Hope Road and Possum Fork Road. The pursuit reportedly ended when the deputy performed a PIT maneuver, which resulted in the stolen vehicle being taken off the road and turned on its side.
Ivey was identified as the driver of the vehicle.
Records show Ivey and Owens were each released from the Florence County Detention Center on Sunday on an $8,000 and $4,000 bond, respectively.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Monday the signing of Nate Ament.
A five-star small forward out of Manassas, Va., Ament is ranked in the top four of the 2025 class by all major outlets. He is the third top-five prep recruit ever to sign with Tennessee, joining Tobias Harris (2010) and Allan Houston (1989).
“We are ecstatic to welcome Nate Ament and his fantastic family to Rocky Top,” Barnes said. “While everyone is aware of just how special a player Nate is, what really drew us to him throughout the recruiting process was the type of person he is. Nate is a high-character, family-oriented young man with a tremendous, caring support system around him who will mesh with our program from day one. He brings a dynamic skill set to the hardwood, embodying the attributes of a modern basketball player.
“Standing out with next-level positional size, he possesses the rare combination of the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with confidence and precision,” Barnes continued. “Nate has a strong basketball IQ to go along with an excellent pairing of skill and toughness. He’s the kind of versatile talent who can impact the game in a variety of ways and, in our eyes, he was the No. 1 player in the class. We are thrilled to have him in orange.”
On3 tabs Ament as the third-best player in the country, with a 99 grade. Meanwhile, 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all slot the 6-foot-9, 185-pounder fourth nationally with 247Sports also giving him a 99 grade. One of just nine players with a five-star nod from all four outlets, Ament is unanimously considered the top player in Virginia in his class.
The 13th McDonald’s All-American in program history, including the fifth in the last seven classes signed by Barnes, Ament totaled 12 points, three rebounds, one steal, one assist and a 2-of-2 3-point clip in the game. He will be the 21st McDonald’s All-American to play for Barnes in his head coaching career, including the 20th high school signee.
The 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, Ament became the first individual from a school other than Oak Hill Academy or Paul VI to win the elite distinction since Thon Maker in 2013-14. He averaged 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game during his final prep campaign.
Ament is coming off a senior season in which he led Highland School to a 42-8 record and a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division I state title. The VISAA Division I Player of the Year led all competitors with 24 points and 18 rebounds in the 56-51 overtime triumph over Bishop O’Connell to win the crown and had the game-winning basket. He also garnered Metro Private School Conference (MPSC) Player of the Year plaudits for the second season in a row.
In Highland’s second straight MPSC title game victory, Ament had game highs with 32 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in a 62-50 win over top-seeded Clinton Grace Christian. In a January triumph over then-top-ranked Prolific Prep (Ca.) at the prestigious Hoophall Classic, he had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for Highland in Springfield, Mass. He also guided Highland to an Elite Prep League (EPL) regular season crown.
A Preseason MaxPreps Second Team All-American entering his final prep campaign, Ament exceeded those lofty expectations by finishing as a MaxPreps First Team All-American and a Naismith First Team All-American. He was also the MaxPreps Virginia Player of the Year and led Highland to a No. 14 finish in the MaxPreps national rankings.
As a junior, Ament helped Highland reach the VISAA Division II state final and he earned VISAA Division II Co-Player of the Year distinction. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 3.7 assists per game. Ament tallied 17 points in a 62-51 win versus top-seeded Clinton Grace Christian in the MPSC final.
During his first two prep years, Ament attended Charles J. Colgan High School. As a sophomore, he recorded 18.2 points per game and helped his school set a record with 18 victories en route to a regional quarterfinal berth. Ament earned First Team All-District and First Team All-Class 6 Region B accolades that season, just a year after notching 53 total varsity points as a freshman.
Ament also possesses experience representing the United States in international competition, including most recently competing in the elite Nike Hoop Summit on April 12 in Portland, Ore.
A member of the 2024 U18 USA National Team, Ament took part in the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in June and helped his country post a 6-0 record en route to winning the gold medal in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was one of 12 players who made the cut from the initial 28-man, five-day tryout group in May in Colorado Springs, Colo. The prior month, he took part in the 2024 Men’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Phoenix.
Before deciding on Tennessee, Ament fielded interest from many of the nation’s premier programs. He picked the Volunteers over fellow finalists Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville, plus held offers from schools such as Alabama, BYU, Georgetown, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Texas, among others.
As a forementioned, Ament is Tennessee’s third top-five recruit ever. In 2010, Tobias Harris placed fifth—one spot behind Ament’s current position—on the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) composite list. While no formal rankings for 1989 are available, Allan Houston was among five players on both the USA TODAY First Team All-USA and the HOOP SCOOP First Team All-America.
Ament is Tennessee’s second 2025 signee from the state of Virginia, joining his AAU teammate on Team Loaded VA, Troy Henderson. They are preceded by nine prior letter winners from the state, with James Daniel III (2017-18), Justin Jackson (2008-09) and Duke Crews (2006-08) the three over the last three-plus decades.
Along with Ament and Henderson, Tennessee has also signed two other high school players in DeWayne Brown II and Amari Evans. Brown, a fellow Gatorade State Player of the Year (Alabama), and Henderson joined Ament as 2024-25 state champions who led their teams to top-15 national MaxPreps finishes, while Evans repeated as the Overtime Elite Defensive Player of the Year.
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.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT AMENT Jonathan Givony, ESPN NBA Draft Analyst: “It’s been incredibly impressive to see how Nate Ament has grown over the past year and change. Not just physically in terms of his frame and statute, but also with his assertiveness, ball-handling, passing, physicality and defensive intensity. He’s becoming a complete player, but is only operating at 25 percent of his potential currently. It’s going to be really exciting to see how Coach Rick Barnes and his staff utilize him. I think he’ll be one of the best players in the SEC next season with the platform they will give him. Some NBA scouts think he could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. He has that kind of talent.”
Jamie Shaw, On3 Senior National Recruiting Analyst: “Positional versatility is the intriguing piece of Nate Ament’s game. In the 6-9 range, he is someone who can initiate offense with his ability to process or score the ball with consistency from each level. He plays with toughness, despite being thin, and he has natural instincts defending off ball. In the fluid nature of today’s game, Ament can perform across multiple positions and in multiple roles.”
Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen says a Knoxville man is sentenced after he passed out and crashed into a garage.
Knoxville Police went to a home on Orangewood Road on May 8th last year after 33-year-old Jeremiah Mills drove off the road and crashed into a garage.
Officers found Mills unresponsive in the driver’s seat of the car. After giving him several doses of naloxone, he regained consciousness and told officers he didn’t take any drugs.
However, Allen says officers saw a bag laying at his feet containing 33 grams of methamphetamine and another bag containing fentanyl.
Mills was convicted of possession with intent to sell methamphetamine, driving under the influence and reckless endangerment in January, and on Monday, he was ordered to serve 15 years in prison.
Allen added that Mills, who was identified as a member of the Crips, also has three prior felony convictions for drug dealing, weapons and tampering with evidence offenses. Additionally, the sentence in this case will run consecutively to another case because he was on parole at the time of this incident.
