Latest news with #SeviervillePoliceDepartment
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sevierville Police lieutenant dedicated to building trust one person at a time
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Stopping a driver going the wrong way down a one-way road before an accident happens is how the day began for Lt. Rebecca Cowan, Sevierville Police Department's Community Resource Commander. She is on a mission to help the people she serves. When she's in her cruiser, she's patrolling with a purpose, making regular visits to Sevier County Food Ministries. At the warehouse, she takes time to bow her head during the morning prayer, thinking of those she's come to help by picking up a grocery cart full of food to take to those in need. $125K donated to support 'state-of-the-art' healthcare training center in Knoxville 'Rebecca has the biggest heart that you could ever imagine. She looks out for a lot of people and no one realizes how much she knows about our community and who needs help,' said Sevier County Food Ministries Director Jim Davis. Cowan not only hand delivers food to people, like Teresa Branham, she makes sure she knows them and knows their stories. 'She takes time out of her real busy day to call me at least twice a day,' Branham said. 'It means the world to me because my family lives in Michigan and my daughter lives in Kentucky and I don't know what I'd do without her.' Cowan is building trust in the community one person at a time. It's not always easy. 'What breaks my heart is when I'm eating at a restaurant and I hear a family say, 'you need to act better or that cop's going to take you to jail.' It just breaks my heart because if that child is in trouble, they're not going to go to the police.' 'Making our parks more welcoming and inviting': Tennessee State Parks hires accessibility coordinator Cowan has received recognition from the state for her work in child safety as a certified car seat instructor, and too many awards to count for other leadership roles inside the department and out. 'I want to see a difference,' she said. 'I want to help people.' Cowan's commitment has earned the respect of Chief Joseph Manning and her fellow officers who worked together to nominate her as one of WATE's Remarkable Women of 2025. 'She is an outstanding police officer. She is a great communicator for our city. She represents Sevierville in the best way,' Manning said. How one woman's efforts helped restore Knoxville's only national landmark Cowan was also instrumental in getting a state law passed to increase punishment for shoplifters caught with tools to help them with their crimes; so-called 'booster bags' and tools to remove sensors. She also chairs the Sevier County Relay for Life every year, and organizes other community events to encourage a positive relationship with police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Driver dead after crash on I-40 at Exit 407
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville man is dead after a truck ran into the back of a parked tractor trailer on I-40 east at Exit 407 to Sevierville early Tuesday morning. Officers with the Sevierville Police Department responded to the crash around 2:30 a.m. There, they found a Toyota Tacoma and a tractor trailer hauling rock on the right shoulder. Detectives search for family of man who died at Knoxville home in February SPD said the preliminary investigation indicated that the driver of the tractor trailer had parked on the shoulder to rest when the Tacoma veered off the eastbound lanes and ran into the back of the parked tractor trailer. The driver of the Tacoma, identified as Charles A. Cox, 28, of Knoxville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured. Dollywood employee airlifted from park Because of the crash, multiple of the eastbound lanes were closed until 6 a.m., as SPD crash reconstructionists worked at the scene. In addition to the police department's officers, the Northview Fire Department, Sevier County Ambulance Service, TDOT, and Sevier County Medical Examiner responded to the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Lawsuit: Alabama couple claims they were illegally arrested by Sevierville Police
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An Alabama couple is suing the City of Sevierville and the Sevierville Police Department after they were accused of DUI and lost custody of their children for nine months. The lawsuit, filed by Nicholas and Elizabeth Frye, claims their constitutional rights were violated and their family has suffered 'irreparable, permanent and significant mental and emotional anguish. The couple is seeking to have their case heard by a jury. SCSO: Body found in Scott County, husband charged with murder The lawsuit claims Nicholas Frye, Elizabeth Frye and their two children travelled to Sevier County to celebrate their youngest child's birthday. On February 25, 2024, Elizabeth slipped and fell on concrete stairs at the resort the family was staying at. Due to her injuries, the family went to Walmart to get supplies. The lawsuit claims that as they were leaving Walmart, the couple was pulled over for 'no justifiable reason.' The parents were accused of being intoxicated and arrested. They were charged with DUI, public intoxication, child abuse, neglect and aggravated child abuse and neglect 'without sufficient evidence for probable cause,' according to the lawsuit. The children were taken to the Sevierville Police Department where the lawsuit says they were held until their grandmother arrived from Alabama. An SPD officer contacted the Tennessee Department of Children's Services about the parents' arrests. Tennessee's DCS then contacted the Alabama Department of Human Resources. The parents were then precluded from seeing their children 'without any evidentiary basis and without probable cause,' according to the lawsuit. It took nine months for the Fryes to regain custody of their children. The suit closes by claiming the officers who arrested the Fryes and the agents who acted to remove their children violated their 14th Amendment rights and were deliberately indifferent to their rights, making the arrests and removal illegal. It also claims the City of Sevierville has a history of similar 'illegal seizures and removals,' making them liable. In addition, it claims the city, state of Tennessee, the Department of Children's Services did not properly train their officers. Crews from across South Carolina help battle Carolina Forest-area wildfires The couple is seeking relief for 'the cost of past and future medical care, attorneys' fees spent in defending the state's criminal action against them, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and non-economic damages for mental and emotional pain and suffering, mental and emotional anguish, permanent impairment and disabilities, and loss of enjoyment of life' and their attorney's fees. The city of Sevierville said they do not comment on pending litigation in response to a question from 6 News about the lawsuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
