A 47-year-old man with what East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers describes as a long history in both Knox and Sevier counties is the subject of a new felony theft warrant, and investigators are asking the public for help finding him. Joseph William Smith, born April 15, 1979, stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 190 pounds, according to the bulletin. His last known address was on Eagle View Drive in Kodak, Tennessee.
The public alert went out Monday as part of the weekly “Manhunt Monday” campaign run by East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers on Facebook. While the organization issued the notice, it specified that the underlying felony theft warrant against Smith was filed by the Knoxville Police Department, not by authorities in Sevier County, where his last known address is located. Crime Stoppers says the warrant was listed as active as of Monday, though it cautions that all warrants are subject to change and that it is not making any claim about the most current legal status. As with every subject named in these alerts, Smith is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
What a Felony Theft Charge Means in Tennessee
Exact details about the alleged incident behind Smith's warrant have not been released. But Tennessee law offers some insight into how theft charges escalate to felony status. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105, theft becomes a Class E felony once stolen property or services are valued above $1,000 but below $2,500, a threshold that carries a potential sentence of one to six years in state prison and fines up to $3,000, according to FindLaw.
The statute climbs from there. Thefts between $2,500 and under $10,000 are charged as Class D felonies, those between $10,000 and under $60,000 as Class C felonies, and amounts from $60,000 up to $250,000 as Class B felonies, with anything above $250,000 charged as a Class A felony punishable by 15 to 25 years in prison, per the same statute. Tennessee law also allows prosecutors to bundle multiple smaller thefts against one or more victims into a single felony count if the acts appear to stem from a common scheme, a provision that can turn a string of low-dollar incidents into a much more serious charge.
Kodak's Position Along the Knox-Sevier Corridor
Smith's last known address sits in Kodak, an unincorporated community in Sevier County that runs along Interstate 40 and Highway 66, according to Wikipedia. That stretch of road connects Sevierville and Knoxville directly, illustrating how someone with reported ties to both Knox and Sevier counties could move easily between the two jurisdictions.
Anyone with information on Smith's whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers through several channels: calling 877-363-8847, texting ETTips to 374837, using the P3Tips app, or submitting a tip online at EastTNValleyCrimeStoppers.org. Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, though only tips submitted through Crime Stoppers channels qualify.
A Program With a Track Record of Results
East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers was formed on May 5, 2021, as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit built through a partnership between Knoxville city leaders, the Knoxville Police Department, and community members, according to the City of Knoxville. That structure makes it a donor-funded civilian organization rather than a police unit, though it works closely with law enforcement across the region.
The program's numbers suggest its tip lines get results. Between the organization's 2021 launch and May 31, 2026, anonymous tips led to 625 arrests, helped clear 425 cases, and produced $110,575 in paid rewards along with $329,379 in recovered stolen property and drugs, per statistics posted on the group's own site. That marks significant growth from an earlier snapshot reported by WBIR-TV, which found that between May 2021 and the end of 2023, the program had logged 6,072 tips resulting in 118 arrests, 70 fugitive captures, 67 served warrants, and $49,500 in cash rewards.
Recent weeks show the weekly alerts translating into custody. Crime Stoppers reported that Zachary Wiseman, featured in a previous Manhunt Monday post, was taken into custody on July 28 following community shares and tips. A day later, the group confirmed that another wanted suspect, Jordan Davidson, was arrested by the Knox County Sheriff's Office shortly after appearing in a Manhunt Monday release, underscoring the coordination between Crime Stoppers, city police, and county deputies across the region.
