MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Law enforcement in eastern Tennessee continued their search Saturday for a man who is accused of fatally shooting one sheriff’s deputy and injuring another during a traffic stop.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday increased the reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of 42-year-old Kenneth DeHart.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it has issued warrants charging DeHart with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Thursday evening shootings.
Deputy Greg McCowan, 43, was killed in the shooting, while Deputy Shelby Eggers, 22, was treated at a hospital and released, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the search was ongoing Saturday. Law enforcement officers were expected Saturday afternoon to conduct a “nontactical ground search” in an area northeast of Maryville where DeHart’s vehicle was found abandoned, WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported.