Feb. 13 (UPI) — A nearly weeklong manhunt for the suspected killer of a Tennessee sheriff’s deputy ended with an arrest on Tuesday, authorities said.
Another deputy was shot and wounded in the incident, officials said.
Suspect Kenneth Wayne DeHart, 42, was found in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon after being wanted on multiple charges in the Thursday shooting of two sheriff’s deputies, one of whom died. Photo courtesy Blount County Sheriff’s Department
Kenneth DeHart, 42, was found in Knoxville on Linden Avenue Tuesday afternoon. He was being sought on multiple charges, including attempted murder and first-degree murder, stemming from an incident last week.
DeHart allegedly shot and killed Blount County Deputy Greg McCowan, 43, at a Maryville traffic stop on Thursday evening. Police say DeHart was driving “erratic” at the time.
On Tuesday, DeHart was found and arrested less than 20 miles away from where this past week’s incident took place.
DeHart — whose girlfriend and brother also were arrested in connection with the incident — also is accused of shooting and wounding Deputy Shelby Eggers. She has since been released from hospital with non-life threatening injuries related to a leg wound.
Billboards asking for the public’s help were plastered across Tennessee’s southeast region in the effort to locate DeHart. More than $100,000 in various rewards were being offered to help find him, but nobody will be receiving the reward, according to Blount County, Tenn., Sheriff James Berrong.
“We had a number of tips,” he said during a evening press conference.
Berrong said officials had “lead after lead” during the search, and that multiple state and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the arrest.
Police say DeHart has an extensive criminal record with 26 different charges from 2002-2017, including aggravated assault, domestic violence and unlawful possession of a weapon counts.