24-05-2025
TBI: Man charged after shooting, injuring Johnson County deputy in April
MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A North Carolina man has been charged after authorities said he shot and injured a deputy after a pursuit in Johnson County last month.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Friday that agents obtained warrants charging Joey Allen Ponce, 34, with attempted murder and other charges.
On April 22, Johnson County deputies spotted a vehicle that was the subject of a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) out of Watauga County, N.C. that was being driven by Ponce, who was wanted in connection to an armed robbery from earlier that day, according to the TBI.
VDOT reopens Route 58 in Damascus; Gov. Youngkin in attendance
When deputies initiated a traffic stop, Ponce allegedly refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. He then got out of the vehicle in the 5000 block of Highway 421 and fired shots at deputies, according to the TBI. Ponce allegedly ran through a gravel lot and fired more shots, striking and injuring a deputy.
Deputies returned fire and struck Ponce, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Ponce was served with the warrants upon his release from the hospital Friday and was taken to the Carter County Jail, where he was booked on a $750,000 bond. He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of evading arrest, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and one count of possession of stolen property, according to the TBI.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
