Cumberland County, TN (WOKI) A detective with the Crossville Police Department is indicted on an assault charge following an investigation.
Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say special agents were asked to investigate an allegation that Detective Tyrel Lorenz assaulted a man after a criminal interview on June 3.
TBI says the investigation found that Lorenz used physical force while arresting the man who was then taken to a local hospital, treated and released.
Lorenz turned himself in Monday, August 5 at the Cumberland County Jail following his indictment on one count of assault; he has since been released pending his next court date.
Crossville Police Department detective charged with assault, TBI says. (Frankly Media)
Electric Campsite – Interagency Senior/Access Pass
$12
$15
$18
$23
Group Campsite
$39
$48
$58
$68
The park is accepting public comment on the proposed fee increases now through September 4. Following public engagement and National Park Service approval, officials said new fees up to the amounts outlined above could be implemented as soon as October 2024.
Comments can be submitted by email or by mail to: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park / 91 Bartlett Park Road / Middlesboro, KY 40965 / Re: Fee Increase Comment.
NPS officials said fees for guided tours and shelter rentals have not changed in at least 15 years. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Loudon County, Tn (WOKI) Authorities in Loudon County are warning citizens of an ongoing telephone scam plaguing the area.
The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says it is continuing to field calls from citizens regarding phone calls they are receiving from a man claiming to be employed by the Sheriff’s Office. LCSO says the man is “spoofing” his phone number to appear as if he is calling from their non-emergency dispatch number, telling respondents that they owe money and to meet him or they will be arrested.
Officials say neither the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office nor the Lenoir City Police Department will ever call and ask for money.
If you think you are being scammed, LCSO says simply hangup and call the non-emergency dispatch line at 865-458-9081 and ask to speak to a deputy.
LCSO says an unknown man is claiming to be a high ranking member of the Sheriff’s Office. (Courtesy: LCSO)
The latest data on homelessness in Knoxville suggests that high rent prices and a low number of housing options are contributing to the problem.
The Knoxville Homeless Management Information System is a partnership between the city, the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Knox County Homeless Coalition. The group tracks homeless data and recently released 2024′s second-quarter numbers.
According to KnoxHMIS, homelessness in the area is on the rise with a reported increase in homeless people from the beginning of this year into the second quarter up over 100 people.
KnoxHMIS tracks those numbers by counting how many people use their homeless services. 42% of the people in Knoxville who cannot find a place to live say there aren’t enough affordable options available. Rising rent prices are making the problem worse, in 2022, the National Association of Realtors listed the Knoxville market as number one for rent price increases. On average, over the last five years, 13% of Knoxville’s homeless population who worked with homeless services returned to homelessness after getting permanent housing.
Overall, the group claimed the problem would not be fixed until more and cheaper options became available in and around Knoxville.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a Campbell County man is charged with murder after a body was found inside a vehicle alongside a road.
62-year-old Audie Green was found dead in a vehicle along Highway 25 West on July 17th. The TBI investigation determined 33-year-old Joshua Cox had been a passenger in the vehicle and “was the person responsible for Green’s death.”
TBI agents obtained a warrant for Cox, charging him with one count of second-degree murder. He was already being held at Campbell County Jail on unrelated charges.
Knox County Schools on Monday highlighted new security measures that are being implemented to enhance school safety in the 2024-25 academic year, as part of the district’s ongoing “Safe Schools, Safe Students” initiative.
At a news conference, Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk and Security Department Chief Jason Periard outlined three strategies to keep schools safe:
Staffing highly trained, armed officers in every school. This year, KCS has 120 School Security Officers (SSO’s) in district schools, as well as School Resource Officers (SRO’s) from partner agencies.
Individualizing safety plans to meet the specific needs of every school; and
Launching a new Text-A-Tip app to allow anonymous reporting of safety information and a timely response.
In connection with these strategies, KCS is taking several steps.
The Board of Education approved $600,000 in salary increases for SSO’s, which means starting pay will increase from $17.24 per hour to $19.16 per hour. The number of salary steps for SSO’s also increased from 14 to 20, which will allow for increased earnings over their career.
An additional $7 million in grant funding is being allocated to increase security. This includes funding to provide intrusion-resistant window reinforcements to every school by the end of the school year.
The district has identified a goal of adding 50,000 feet of perimeter fencing at schools, and last year installed more than 17,000 feet of fencing. That work will continue this year.
More than 25% of our schools will also begin the year with new, steel-reinforced concrete security bollards designed to protect students and staff during pick-up and drop-off.
More than 450 KCS staff members completed training for the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) certification for threat assessment, training that equips more individuals to focus on school safety and provide proactive supports for students.
The district is launching a new Text-A-Tip app, and a link has been pre-loaded on every student’s Chromebook. Reports will be monitored on a 24/7 basis by the KCS Operations Center to ensure the district is responding rapidly and intentionally to every notification. In addition, parents, students, and community members can download the app through Google Play and soon through the Apple Store.
On August 5, the KCS Security Department and school teams at Carter High and Fulton High are participating in active shooter drills with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Knoxville Police Department.
“We never lose sight of the fact that school safety is essential – for our students and our employees,” said Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk. “As Superintendent, my most important responsibility is maintaining safe and secure environments for every student and every school. I’m grateful for the work of Chief Jason Periard, of the KCS Security Division, along with the strong support of our partners at KCSO and KPD. Working together, they are committed to seeking continuous improvement in every aspect of our security operations.”
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) As hurricane Debby looks to advance up the eastern seaboard, members of the Knoxville Fire Department are deployed Monday afternoon to aid in the response.
Knoxville Fire Department officials announcing a possible 10-day deployment of its Swift Water Team to South Carolina to support local emergency services and communities affected by Hurricane Debby.
“We are committed to helping our neighbors in South Carolina during this critical time,” said KFD Chief Stan Sharp. “Our firefighters are trained and prepared for high-risk situations, and we will do everything we can to support the local emergency services and communities affected by Hurricane Debby.”
KFD says the team is a specialized task force of 12 firefighters, including experts in Swift Water Rescue and emergency medical services, equipped with emergency response vehicles and essential supplies.
12 firefighters will deploy to South Carolina, equipped with emergency response vehicles and essential supplies.
Morgan County, TN (WOKI) A woman is charged in a string of arsons and vandalism in Morgan County.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says 59-year-old Anita Hall was charged in the crimes on July 27.
A storage unit complex on Petros Highway then an explosion with black smoke at a home on Malachi Drive where deputies found a new F450 truck on fire, both reported on that Saturday.
MCSO says Hall was also seen setting cardboard boxes on fire and tampering with several trailers at an RV Park in Petros.
There were more vandalism reports along with Hall allegedly stealing a car’s registration tag.
Hall reportedly admitted to the crimes when detectives caught up to her. She is charged with numerous crimes including: Vandalism over $60,000, Arson, Burglary and theft.
She is being held on a $210,000 bond, with more charges pending.
August 2, 2024: Earlier this afternoon, we received a call from TWRA Biologist Janelle Musser. She set a trap this morning for a bear that destroyed a homeowner’s garage door. Within two hours, the bear was trapped. Sadly, the bear was female and had three cubs.
A bear that is willing to break apart a garage door to get inside for trash and a refrigerator full of food is a very dangerous bear. TWRA had no choice but to euthanize her. The homeowners were saddened, but explained that there are a lot of rentals in their area and that rental company housekeepers drive around with their cars and open-bed trucks full of trash every day. This sow was in this trash every day.
The bear family was technically trapped at a Sevierville address in Sevier County, Tennessee, but the home was right outside Gatlinburg. Unfortunately, there is no public trash service in the county areas of Sevier County. People must take their trash to convenience centers. To exacerbate the problem, there is a lot of construction going on in the area. There are lots and lots of construction dumpsters that are not bear-resistant. It’s a known problem that cabin cleaners often find unsupervised construction dumpsters and throw all the trash in them. It’s much faster than driving to a convenience center or to the cabin cleaning business’ dumpster. It’s very difficult to control and it creates an environmental hazard when bears and other wildlife drag the nasty trash out of the dumpsters and up and down our mountainsides.
Fortunately, TWRA was able to trap all three cubs. That’s a very difficult task and we sincerely appreciate Janelle’s efforts and skill. Curators Greg and Katrina met Janelle to pick up the cubs and transport them to UTCVM-University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for exams. The three cubs are all female and are healthy. ABR 411 broke a canine tooth while in the trap and doctors pulled the tooth. It’s just a baby tooth that the cub would lose soon anyway. ABR 411 weighs 15kgs (33 pounds). ABR 412 also weighs 15kgs (33 pounds). ABR 413 is the smallest of the family, but she is not small. She weighs a healthy 14kgs (30.8 pounds).
Curators will place the three arrivals in Hartley House tonight. The three rooms in Hartley will allow them to split up the siblings to take their worm meds over the next three days.
Please welcome ABR 411 Bubbles, ABR 412 Mojo and ABR 413 Fuzzy. We will do our best for them and with your help, we will give them a second chance at life in the wild where they belong.
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