Man Who Killed Blount Co Deputy Now In Custody

The man who shot and killed one Blount County deputy and injured another is now in custody. 42 year old Kenneth Dehart was found in a home on Linden Avenue in East Knoxville. Dehart’s arrest brings an end to a 5 day manhunt which saw him be added to the TBI’s Most Wanted List last Friday, and saw his picture appear on billboards across the southeast on Tuesday.

Authorities say that Dehart was found in an empty home and surrendered peacefully. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch stated that cell phone tracking technology helped find Dehart. The TBI is now investigating where Dehart had been between Thursday night and when he was captured yesterday afternoon. Blount County Sheriff James Berrong says that while there were many leads that were called in, none of them led investigators to the home where Dehart was found. Therefore, it is doubtful that anyone will receive the over $100,000 reward.

Dehart was processed through the Blount County jail and then transported to the Loudon County jail where he is being held. He is due to make his first appearance in court Thursday morning at 9am.

Dehart shot and killed Deputy Greg McCowan Thursday night on Hwy 411 in the Wildwood area of Blount County. The visitation for Deputy McCowan was yesterday in Knoxville. He will be laid to rest this afternoon in Maryville.