A convicted sex offender from Georgia is dead after an encounter with Tennessee authorities during which he rammed several police cars, several sources have confirmed.
Edward Ahrens was suspected of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl who was the subject of a Tennessee Endangered Child Alert, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The missing child was identified as Aubriauna Mays.
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A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee was the victim of a “swatting” over the weekend, a tactic that is more frequently being used to attack political foes in the United States.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) was the victim of the nefarious incident.
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Knox County’s Sheriff said in a Tuesday press conference that a shootout between two teens and his deputies, the result of a car theft, stemmed from a TikTok challenge.
“This case involved a TikTok challenge where you steal a vehicle, drive it for a day or two and then ditch it,” Sheriff Tom Spangler said in the press conference. “Some of the TikTok challenges that are out there are pretty disturbing. I’m sure that if some of our parents were aware of some of the things that are going on, I hope it would be safe to say they wouldn’t be real happy about that.”
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At the direction of Gov. Bill Lee (R), flags will be flown at half-staff at the Tennessee Capitol Friday in order to honor a Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) deputy who was killed in the line of duty earlier this week.
“Every day, our men & women of law enforcement walk the thin line between order & chaos to keep Tennesseans safe. Deputy Blakely made the ultimate sacrifice, & we can never fully express our deep gratitude,” Lee said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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A Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) deputy who was shot in the line of duty Sunday night has died, according to the office.
“Officer Blakely is a hero. He lived as a hero, he died as a hero,” Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said late Monday night. “Keep Tucker’s family in your thoughts.”
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating after a fatal officer-involved shooting in Knox County Sunday night that left a deputy “seriously wounded.”
“TBI special agents are investigating the circumstances surrounding a Sunday night fatal officer-involved shooting in Knox County, which also left a deputy seriously wounded,” TBI said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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The Knox County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that it will not enforce the indoor mask mandate that Gambier passed this week.
“If you have read information from the Gambier ordinance concerning the mask mandate, it indicates a $25 fine and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office is the enforcing body,” the sheriff’s office said. “I have spoken with Mayor [Leeman] Kessler and informed him that deputies will not be citing anyone for violations. We will not put deputies in that situation. We have not enforced mask mandates in the past, and we will not enforce this mandate.”
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Knox County has sued itself and spent nearly $1 million on legal fees, according to KnoxNews.com. The attorneys who did legal work on the case, as the website went on to say, are coming out of this quite well. This, of course, is all taxpayer money. According to Knox News, the suit pitted the Knox County Law Department against the county’s pension board and a few Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies approved to receive benefits under the county retirement plan. “The Law Department sought to reverse a longstanding pension board process and require the board to calculate pensions on base salary and not total compensation (such as vacation pay) in accordance with changes to the county charter,” the website reported. “That ultimately translated to reduced pension benefits.” Authorities ruled the Knox County Law director couldn’t press on with the lawsuit. But, as the website went on to say, “the bills are still racking up.” County officials have announced they’ll pay $97,500 to settle attorney fees for the deputies the county sued, according to KnoxNews.com. “Attorneys Herb Moncier and Al Holifield originally asked for $190,000, but the county litigated down the amount,” the website reported. “In all, the county has legal fees…
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The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has formally entered into an agreement with federal immigration officials that will allow deputies to perform some of the duties of immigration officers after undergoing training. The agreement is part of the 287(g) program, which is strongly opposed by activist groups such as the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). Knox County is the only agency in Tennessee currently participating in the program, which was authorized by a 1996 federal statute. President Trump supports the program and has revived it after it was scaled back under former President Obama. The number of participating agencies has been growing. Currently, 45 law enforcement agencies in 18 states are involved. Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones signed the Knox County agreement June 13 and an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed June 15. The agreement is good through June 2019. Acting on a request from ICE, Jones had asked for, and received, letters of recommendation from Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. After completing their training, deputies in Knox County chosen for the program will have the delegated authority to interrogate suspected illegal immigrants detained by law enforcement, collect evidence and process paperwork. They…
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Tennessee federal lawmakers are backing the sheriff of Knox County in his efforts to get approval to run the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program. The program allows state and local police officers to collaborate with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. President Trump in his executive orders on immigration said he would revitalize the program. The program is named for Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and became law in 1996. President Obama scaled back the program. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office would become the only law enforcement agency in the state to be part of the 287(g) program. The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office participated in the program for several years before ending its involvement in 2012. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that ICE asked Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones to get letters of recommendation from Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., who all complied with the request. The newspaper quotes Jones as saying that currently when people are arrested, their immigration status is run to see if the crime is deportable. The process can take up to three weeks at $100 a day. The 287(g) program would streamline the process…
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