The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has a prestigious history beginning with the establishment of Knox County in 1792 and the commissioning of our first Knox County Sheriff, Robert Houston, in June of that year.
1792 - 1802
1802 - 1803
1803 - 1814
1814 - 1826
1826 - 1834
1834 - 1838
1838 - 1850
1850 - 1856
1856 - 1862
1862 - 1864
1864 - 1870
1870 - 1874
1874 - 1876
1876 - 1880
1880 - 1882
1882 - 1886
1886 - 1890
1890 - 1892
1892 - 1894
1894 - 1898
1898 - 1904
1904 - 1906
1906 - 1910
1910 - 1914
1914 - 1916
1916 - 1918
1918 - 1922
1922 - 1924
1924 - 1928
1928 - 1929
1929 - 1930
1930 - 1932
1932 - 1936
1936 - 1940
1940 - 1946
1946 - 1950
1950 - 1952
1952 - 1956
1956 - 1958
1958 - 1960
1960 - 1962
1962 - 1964
1964 - 1968
1968 - 1974
1974 - 1976
1976 - 1982
1982 - 1990
1990 - 2007
2007 - 2018
2018 - Present Sheriff
Have any personal KCSO history stories or information? We would love to hear it. Click below and tell us what you know!
A Knox County Sheriff Deputy standing beside his cruiser.
An image portraying various patrolling units of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office .
An image showing what the first type of Sheriff patrol cruisers were like in the early days of vehicle manufacturing.
On July 20, 1985 the burned body of Betty Joyce Brown,aka Simmons, was found in the woods at 3805 Maloney Road in South Knox County. The 29 year old Austin-East graduate had been stabbed before being burned. Ms. Brown was last seen on July 14, 1985 between midnight and 1:00am in front of the Bread Box at Magnolia Ave and Spruce Street. It is believed that Ms. Brown was offered and accepted a ride from an unknown subject. Ms. Brown’s last know address was 2737 Tarleton Ave. Initial investigation indicated that when Ms. Brown’s body was found, she had been dead approximately 1 week. Family members described Ms. Brown as being a “very sweet and loving mother.”
If you have any information please call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at (865)-215-3520/3590 or e-mail coldcase@knoxsheriff.org.