Man Who Crashed Garbage Truck Into Sevier County Business Enters Guilty Plea

A man who caused a lot of damage in Sevier County after he hijacked a garbage truck a couple years ago, will spend more than two decades in prison. 45 year old Shawn White flagged down a garbage truck near downtown Knoxville after he crashed the vehicle he was driving. When the garbage truck driver pulled over to assist, White jumped into the passenger seat and pulled a knife on the driver, instructing him to head south on Chapman Highway.

Shortly afterward, the garbage truck driver jumped out of the truck and White took the wheel, driving the stolen garbage truck into Sevier County. Sevier County authorities used spike strips after White passed through downtown Sevierville. White wound up crashing the garbage truck into the Tennessee Hot Tubs building on Dolly Parton Parkway, doing a massive amount of damage to the building and its inventory.

On Tuesday, White plead guilty in federal court to carjacking and was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison, that’s equals up to over 24 years behind bars. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $442,000 to his victims. He still faces state charges of second-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault.