DeHart faces 21 charges in Circuit Court

Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr. now faces 21 charges ahead of his first appearance in Blount County Circuit Court. The charges, which include felonies and misdemeanors, range from first-degree murder to a traffic infraction.

A Blount County grand jury handed down an indictment on DeHart Monday, April 1 — weeks after TBI special agents charged him with fatally shooting Blount County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg McCowan and injuring fellow Deputy Shelby Eggers during a Feb. 8 traffic stop. The 42-year-old Alcoa man remained at large for five days while a multi-agency task force comprised of local, state and federal law enforcement combed East Tennessee for his trail.

Blount County Sheriff’s Office SWAT members finally took him into custody at a home in Knoxville Feb. 13 — the day before McCowan’s funeral. His case was sent to a grand jury seven days later.

Although court staff said this month’s indictments were not yet available for inspection Tuesday afternoon, court documents detail the charges active against DeHart in circuit court:

First-degree murderAttempted first-degree murderTwo counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felonPossession of a weapon while eluding arrestEight counts of possession of a firearm with the intent to go armedTwo counts of aggravated assault on a first responderReckless endangerment with a deadly weaponTampering with evidenceFelony evading arrestAggravated assaultResisting stop/frisk/halt/arrest/searchImproper driving on roadways laned for traffic

All of the charges stem from Feb. 8, according to court records.

On Monday, Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond said he could not comment on the indictment until it’s served on DeHart. His first hearing on the charges will be 9 a.m. Friday before Blount County Circuit Court Judge Tammy Harrington.

Evidence already presented against DeHart includes video of the fatal traffic stop, which prosecutors say shows him opening fire on the deputies after McCowan uses a taser on him. Dehart, Desmond has said, opened his door to shoot a prone McCowan again, forming the basis of the first-degree murder charge.

A TBI special agent has also testified that investigators later found DeHart’s vehicle abandoned with spent 40-caliber bullet casings and taser prongs inside. Law enforcement found a 40-caliber firearm at the address where he was arrested, and the box to a 40-caliber Smith & Wesson firearm at the home of his girlfriend, Carrie Matthews of Sevierville.

Matthews, along with DeHart’s brother, Marcus DeHart of Maryville, has been charged with accessory after the fact after investigators said she helped him avoid capture. Maurice Warren of Knoxville has also been charged after police said he purchased phones for DeHart to use while at large.