A three-day manhunt culminated in a foot pursuit and a significant injury to a Cocke County deputy, as local law enforcement closed in on suspect Drury Whitlock. According to the WVLT report, the chase ensued off Blue Mill Road and resulted in a deputy falling approximately 14 feet from a bridge into a creek, officials stated. The structure's partial collapse led to the deputy's plunge and subsequent landing on rocks, which necessitated immediate first aid before hospitalization at Newport Medical Center. His current condition remains undisclosed.
Escaping suspect Whitlock was described in a WBIR update as being 5-foot-8 with pink-dyed hair, having eluded capture after the accident, which occurred when the deputy gave chase over uncertain bridge terrain and while Cocke County Sheriff CJ Ball conveyed relief at the injured officer's homecoming no arrest had yet been made despite continued K-9-assisted searches in the area of Del Rio, specifically around Midway Road, where the suspect was last believed to be.
The deputy's tumble, inflaming already heightened tensions in an area gripped by the search, has not impeded ongoing efforts to locate Whitlock, wanted on a theft charge exceeding $1,000 among other infractions. Community members have been urged to avoid confrontation and report sightings immediately to 911, as stated by WATE
