KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Blount County Sheriff's Department confirmed that Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr., the man accused of fatally shooting a BCSO deputy and wounding another, was captured Tuesday afternoon.
"You can't understand how excited I am today to announce today we arrested the man that murdered my deputy," Sheriff James Berrong said.
DeHart was taken into custody around 3:30 p.m. at a home in East Knoxville in the 2600 block of Linden Avenue, according to BCSO. He is accused of evading authorities for five days following the deadly shooting of Blount County Deputy Greg McCowan. The shooting also wounded another deputy, Shelby Eggers.
Deputies said the home was empty when they went in. Berrong said DeHart did not put up resistance when he was captured.
Berrong said he met with the family around 3:30 p.m. around the time they captured DeHart. Deputies used McCowan's handcuffs to take him into custody.
"I told when I came back and saw them tomorrow at one o'clock at the funeral, he would be in our jail if there were any way possible, and God willing and guess what... he is in our jail," he said.
Berrong said DeHart was captured due to several leads investigators had developed, but did not specifically mention what those leads were. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch mentioned that certain pieces of technology helped them track down DeHart.
He said the sheriff's office received a number of tips, but none of them pointed to the house they found DeHart at. He said it did not appear anyone would receive the more than $100,000 that was being offered as a reward for information leading to DeHart's capture.
Berrong said the news came as a huge relief to his deputies, McCowan's family, and others who have been working tirelessly since Thursday to capture DeHart.
“Just watching them, and seeing their emotions, and what they have been through… we haven’t had time to grieve. We can now go to the funeral and grieve with the family,” Berrong said.
Nearly 150 law enforcement officers and federal agents from departments throughout East Tennessee have been searching through dense, wooded areas and executing search warrants to find DeHart. The reward for information leading to his arrest was over $100,000.
"Kenneth Wayne DeHart was taken into custody a short time ago in Knoxville! Now the judicial process will take place in the court system. Thanks to all of our law enforcement partners and our community," Sheriff James Berrong said after the arrest.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and BCSO shared a photo of DeHart's arrest as he was being loaded into a cruiser:
Sheriff Berrong said DeHart is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday at 9 a.m. He is currently being held at another facility outside Blount County for the moment.
Berrong said he wants the death penalty for DeHart, but said that is up to McCowan's family and the District Attorney General.
District 5 Attorney General Ryan Desmond said he will be talking with the fallen deputy's family about the legal process and to hear their thoughts. He said he anticipates he will make a decision in the coming weeks.
Berrong said his office is expecting to release body camera and vehicle camera footage of the Feb. 8 shooting in the near future, but said he wants to talk to the family first and allow them to grieve. He said the footage is lengthy and will show people the "totality of the story."
People in the community offered their sympathies for the family and BCSO.
"It's hard... you want to go in expecting... not this, but you always trust your officers in finding the guy who did it. It was hard... after Kenny, it was hard," one mother said about the deputy's shooting as she recalled the deadly 2016 ambush of Maryville Officer Kenny Moats. She said she was glad to hear the news that DeHart had been captured.
"Overwhelmed. I'm, so excited. I'm so happy. He needs to own up to his actions for what he did, and he needs to suffer," she said.
BCSO shared DeHart's mugshot later Tuesday evening after booking him into the Blount County Jail around 4 p.m.:
The Shooting
On Thursday, Feb. 8, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the two deputies tried to pull over DeHart Jr. in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville around 8:30 p.m. for "suspicion of erratic driving." BCSO mentioned Friday afternoon during a press conference the driver was not staying in their lane.
DeHart Jr., "would not cooperate with deputies" and refused to get out of the vehicle, according to the TBI.
The TBI said deputies used a Taser on DeHart Jr. with no effect and at some point during the encounter, he pulled out a gun and shot both deputies.
At least one of the deputies returned fire, according to the TBI.
43-year-old Deputy Greg McCowan was taken to a hospital where he later died. The other deputy, Deputy Shelby Eggers, was transported to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. She has since been released and is now recovering at home, BCSO said.
On Friday afternoon, deputies announced they arrested Marcus DeHart, Kenneth DeHart Jr's brother, for accessory after the fact. They said he helped DeHart after the shooting and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Deputies also arrested the suspect's girlfriend, Carrie Mathews, for accessory after the fact. According to court records, a Sevier County Sheriff's Office deputy went to a home on McCleary Road while searching for Kenneth DeHart Jr.
The deputy said she got a call from "Janeisha" while authorities were at the home. Deputies said she answered the call. They said it was actually DeHart calling from the number. According to court records, she told the caller, "They're here," and ended the phone call.
"This action by Ms. Mathews warned Mr. Dehart of impending apprehension or discovery. She was taken into custody and transported to SCSO Main Jail," court records said.
Deputy Greg McCowan
Deputy Greg McCowan was shot during the traffic stop and later died from his injuries. He leaves behind his children Cayley and Cayden, his granddaughter Ella, his mother and father, his fiancé Leah, and numerous family and friends, according to BCSO.
McCowan, 43, started his full-time career with BCSO in 2020. Before joining full-time, he served as a reserve deputy, Blount County Sheriff James Berrong said.
McCowan worked in manufacturing but always had an interest in law enforcement. That's when he applied for and was hired as a patrol deputy and attended the BCSO Regional Law Enforcement Academy Class 021 in 2020, according to Berrong.
Berrong said McCowan excelled during the academy. After his graduation in October 2020, he served as a patrol deputy. He was awarded the Sheriff’s Office Lifesaving commendation in April 2021 for his part in saving the life of a man trapped in a burning vehicle.
McCowan was an EMR and recently joined the Sheriff’s Crisis Negotiations team and was excited to put his recent certification to use, Berrong said.
"Deputy McCowan was always smiling and friendly to everyone," Berrong said. "He loved riding motorcycles and restoring old vehicles."
This story is ongoing and we will update you as we learn more.