Five family members charged after Hamblen County business' property shot
HAMBLEN COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Five family members, including two juveniles, are facing charges after detectives investigated a Hamblen County business' property being damaged by gunfire earlier this week.
The Hamblen County Sheriff's Office said the family members, who live in Morristown, are facing charges stemming from the investigation.
Woman arrested after crash, accused of kicking out Knoxville police car window
'Information we were able to obtain through a recently installed flock camera was essential in locating the vehicle involved,' Det. Lt. Jim Brooks stated. 'Once we located the vehicle, we had no problem determining the individuals who were involved.'
The two juveniles suspected of causing the damage were charged reckless endangerment, vandalism, and unlawful possession of a firearm. As deputies apprehended the juveniles, three other family members were charged with Schedule VI violations, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and simple possession, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said additional charges may be pending.
Knox County mayor calls out apparent retaliation at juvenile detention center
Brooks also thanked the Morristown Police Department, White Pine Police Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol for their assistance in the case.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New Tennessee law criminalizes AI technology for child pornography creation
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Beginning on July 1, 2025, it will be a crime in Tennessee to create or share technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child pornography. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on April 24, and it will take effect on July 1. The law makes it a felony to 'knowingly possess, distribute, or produce any software or technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.' Possession will be a Class E felony, distribution will be a Class C felony and production will be a Class B felony. Locals, tourists recall major Gatlinburg crash that injured seven 'When in the wrong hands, artificial intelligence has the ability to make exploitive crimes even worse,' said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch. 'I applaud the General Assembly and Governor Lee for seeing the value in strengthening our state's laws to better protect Tennesseans, and I'm proud our state is leading the way on common sense measures to ensure this emerging technology doesn't become a dangerous tool for bad actors.' Yager said the goal of the bill was to combat the rise of AI-generated child pornography while preserving legitimate AI applications. A release from his office explained that the legislation does not broadly ban AI, but targets tools with the intent to generate child pornography. The senator worked with the TBI to create the legislation. 'This law is about keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology to protect our children from unthinkable exploitation,' said Yager. 'Bad actors are using AI to create disturbing and abusive content, and Tennessee is taking a strong stand to stop it. By criminalizing the tools used to generate AI child pornography, we're giving law enforcement what they need to pursue offenders and protect victims.' What state laws protect kids against AI-generated deepfakes? This is not the first law in Tennessee targeting AI and child pornography. In 2024, the state added AI-generated images to the state's anti-child pornography laws. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
TBI: 91-year-old woman missing from South Carolina found safe
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A 91-year-old woman who the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation asked residents to be on the lookout for after she disappeared from South Carolina has been found safe in Virginia. The TBI said around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday that Berry Fay Fisher, 91, was reported missing on Monday after she left Spartanburg County, SC, around 10 a.m. driving a dark grey 2025 Toyota RAV4 with the South Carolina tag 734BXU. Tuesday morning, the RAV4 was seen in Sullivan County, Tennessee, the TBI said. The TBI shared an update at 4:16 p.m. that Fisher had been found safe in Virginia. LIST: Who is performing at the Tennessee Valley Fair in 2025? The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said Fisher is 5'7″ tall and weighs about 150 pounds. The sheriff's office added that she has a medical condition and is supposed to be taking medication. Anyone who saw Fisher or the vehicle she was traveling in was asked to contact the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office at (864) 503-4670. Tellico Plains families fighting to regain full access to historic cemetery Authorities say nearly 400 people go missing in Tennessee each year. That's five people for every 100,000. Check this list of people missing from East Tennessee to see if you can help locate someone. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tellico Plains families fighting to regain full access to historic cemetery
TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. (WATE) — Several families in Tellico Plains have had to go to court to keep a cemetery gate from being locked. The historic cemetery borders the Cherokee National Forest in Monroe County. There are a lot of people buried at the Holly Springs DeHart Cemetery, which is about a 20-minute drive south of Tellico Plains. Folks who have family at the cemetery are upset that they were denied access for a while. Teresa Crowder, Shirley Woods, and Brittany Brannon have been visiting the Holly Springs DeHart Cemetery for years. Each has relatives at the historic graveyard. 'I have been coming since I was a little girl. I remember staying out here for hours with my grandparents,' said Brannon. 'My parents, my grandparents, my great grandparents. Aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it, they are here,' Woods added. New hotel could be coming to Morristown, city council considers height restrictions There are several hundred headstones at the cemetery, some of the oldest dating back to the Prock family, who first settled in Monroe County nearly 200 years ago. Recently, a fence was put up by Richard Rogers at the cemetery entrance. Rogers bought property next to the graveyard and built a garage. To get to his RV, Rogers uses the cemetery entrance. But, he attached a sign to the fence restricting visiting hours to one Sunday a week for just four hours. He's also blocked the only exit to the cemetery. 'This is a historical cemetery. It should never ever be closed, never. My great-grandparents, I have one set here, another set here. My daddy is over here, he's got seven brothers and sisters buried right down there,' said Rita Burnette. 'We do spend a lot of time here. Family means everything,' said Brannon. For a few days last week, the fence was locked and no one could enter. 'A judge signed off on where he can't close it again. But he still has the exit coming down from the cemetery blocked with logs,' said Brannon. Locals, tourists recall major Gatlinburg crash that injured seven The logs blocking the exit have been a big inconvenience for more than a year. On Memorial Day, dozens of families came to visit their loved ones. 'I've been here and they would be all the way up this hill, coming in from the main road all the way down through here. The cars would be lined up. We cannot go the exit out of here,' said Woods. 'We have to turn around, and it's very hard to turn around.' 'It's caused me a lot of stress. It's caused everybody stress. My mom is 81 years old, I'm not going to have her walk from the road,' said Teresa Crowder. Marine veteran Richard Rogers greeted us warmly as we asked him about the gate he put up and the logs that block the cemetery exit. 'Well, I've been getting shot at by a couple of neighbors and harassed. But that's all I'm going to say because right now it is litigation,' Rogers. He claimed that he was being harassed and shot at by neighbors. He specifically said that a man named Don Lee was harassing him. 'He came up and criminally trespassed on my property again,' Rogers said. 'It's been repeated.' 'Don't hire him' Customers out thousands after contractor leaves jobs unfinished Lee refuted Rogers' claim, saying that it was not true and the claim was because he was taking Rogers to court. 'Because I'm taking him to court over this road, and he's sore about that,' said Lee. Families want to see the gate and logs removed permanently to enable them full access to the cemetery every day of the week. Families who filed the lawsuit against Rogers told us they'll be back in court in two months, fighting to have the gate and logs removed. Gates around cemeteries serve several purposes, including defining boundaries, deterring trespassing and vandalism, and maintaining the sanctity of the grounds. But for years, there had never been a gate at the Holly Springs DeHart Cemetery, and families say they don't see a purpose for one. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
