The primary objective of the Criminal Warrants Unit is to locate and apprehend subjects who have outstanding arrest warrants and return them to the jurisdiction of the court. In Knox County, priority is given to violent offenders and offenders that are having a significant negative impact on our community. Criminal Warrants Unit personnel work hand in hand with the Clerk of Court and the State Attorney General’s Office, utilizing various computer databases to enter, maintain and execute every warrant received and to investigate the whereabouts of these individuals with the goal of eventually bringing about their arrest. Officers assigned to the Criminal Warrants Unit are tasked with the responsibility of participating in fugitive raids with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Several officers are assigned to the United States Marshal’s Smoky Mountain Regional Fugitive Task Force and travel throughout the East Tennessee District tracking violent offenders with the goal of taking them into custody. Often subjects will flee Knox County to avoid capture. Once an individual is located in another city, county, or state, the Criminal Warrants Unit begins the process of returning the individual to Knox county jurisdiction. This involves extensive communication with authorities and much legal documentation which eventually leads to officers traveling to the other jurisdiction to coordinate the fugitive’s apprehension and extradition and/or transport back to Knox County. Citizens wishing to provide information about persons with outstanding criminal warrants can report anonymously via the tip line or contact LEIDS at 865-215-2442.
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**If this is an emergency or if you are in need of police response, please call 911**
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.