Kenneth DeHart Jr., the man accused of gunning down Blount County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg McCowan, faced the severity of the law in a courtroom arraignment on Friday. The grand jury's indictment came down heavy on DeHart with 21 counts, including first-degree murder. The indictment was announced earlier this week, as per reports from WATE.
The prosecution is now on the clock, with an October 11 deadline looming to decide if they will seek the death penalty against DeHart. An Alcoa resident, DeHart faces charges that spring from a fatal confrontation in February during a traffic stop, as mentioned by WBIR. The charges against DeHart include a premeditated first-degree murder charge and an attempted first-degree murder charge for the shooting that claimed McCowan's life and wounded another deputy.
In the wake of the grand jury indictment, DeHart's initial court appearance saw his attorney waive the full reading of charges, which detailed the considerable array of legal battles lying ahead for DeHart. A series of deadlines have been set for proceedings in DeHart's case, including discovery by August 24, motion filings by September 13, and a deadline for enhancement of punishment considerations by the State by October 11. As per the coverage from WVLT, further deadlines for change of venue requests and additional motions fall in November and December, respectively. DeHart is set to reappear in court on December 13th to have his trial date set.
While DeHart is held without bond, the community remains in mourning over the death of Deputy McCowan. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office reported that the fateful encounter occurred when deputies confronted DeHart for erratic driving. What began as a routine traffic stop ended in tragedy after DeHart allegedly opened fire, striking both Deputy McCowan and Deputy Shelby Eggers, the former fatally. The impact of this crime echoes through the legal timelines and into the hearts of a grieving law enforcement family and local community.
