Two individuals have been arrested by the Knoxville Police Department in connection with a theft investigation that led to the recovery of drugs and a firearm. On the evening of October 4, officers were following up on a theft filed earlier that day when a victim reported that her belongings had been stolen after she allowed two individuals to stay in her home, according to a post on the Knoxville Police Department's Facebook page.
The suspects, identified as Tina Omary, 39, and Jesse Rocha, 39, were found at a camp just south of Woodland Avenue and both had outstanding warrants, officers who arrived on the scene initially witnessed Rocha climbing a chain-link fence in an attempt to flee before apprehending him following a short chase. After bringing Rocha into custody, officers returned to the encampment to find and arrest Omary who initially provided a false name but was detained without additional incident.
During the subsequent search of the tent where the suspects were staying, officers discovered a variety of narcotics and a loaded handgun, and they located "three individually packaged baggies of suspected crack cocaine, 0.8 grams of suspected heroin, 4.3 grams of suspected marijuana and 1.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine," as noted in the social media statement from the Knoxville Police Department. The drugs appeared to be prepped for resale.
Rocha now faces several drug offenses alongside charges of possession of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun his record includes a violation of parole (VOP) involving tampering with evidence and methamphetamine possession Omary's charges include criminal impersonation, and she also has a VOP related to prior drug offenses.
