Knoxville police are asking the public to help identify a man photographed in connection with an incident at the North Ridge Crossing public housing community in North Knoxville, and a cash reward of up to $2,000 is on the table for anyone whose tip leads to an arrest. The appeal, posted to Facebook, does not describe what happened or detail any charges, only that officers want to speak with the man pictured about the case.
The bulletin was issued by East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, the nonprofit that fields anonymous tips on behalf of Knoxville police, and is tied to Knoxville Police Department case number 26-023667. As with all Crime Stoppers appeals, the organization stresses that anyone shown in the post is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The post asks the public to share it widely to help track down the man's identity.
Case numbers formatted like 26-023667 are typically handled by KPD's Property Crimes Unit, which investigates non-violent offenses including burglary, auto theft, fraud, and larceny, according to the Knoxville Police Department. Residents who want to report similar incidents directly to police, rather than through Crime Stoppers, can also file non-emergency reports through the department's Teleserve system. Knoxville police maintain a presence on social media as well, tagged in the Crime Stoppers appeal as @knoxville_pd.
A Complex With a History of Tips Leading to Arrests
North Ridge Crossing is a 316-unit public and subsidized housing community at 712 Breda Drive, owned and operated by Knoxville's Community Development Corporation and equipped with security cameras and an on-site Boys & Girls Club, per KCDC. It is one of 16 public housing properties KCDC runs across Knox County, and it has been the site of successful Crime Stoppers-driven police work before. In July 2025, an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers led officers to arrest a convicted felon selling drugs out of a North Ridge Crossing apartment on Claudius Road, with officers intercepting the suspect on Breda Drive and seizing handguns and narcotics, as reported by WBIR.
The complex also underwent a major $33.1 million rehabilitation in 2017 alongside Lonsdale Homes and The Vista at Summit Hill, covering 705 units total and including updated lighting, windows, doors, and plumbing, according to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. That investment was aimed at upgrading safety and utility infrastructure at some of KCDC's older properties.
How the Tip Line Works
East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers launched on May 1, 2021, as a collaboration between Knoxville city leadership and the Knoxville Police Department, but it operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving more than 30 regional law enforcement agencies, according to the City of Knoxville. Between May 2021 and December 2023, the organization says it processed 6,072 anonymous tips, resulting in 118 arrests, 70 fugitive apprehensions, 155 cleared cases, and $49,500 in total reward payouts.
Tipsters can remain 100 percent anonymous, and rewards are only paid out if a tip is submitted directly through Crime Stoppers rather than to police officers. The organization says it protects that anonymity through dedicated phone lines without caller ID, no call recording or web IP tracking, and an anonymous tip ID numbering system used to distribute rewards, allowing tipsters to collect cash at partner financial institutions using an assigned code number. Standard rewards top out at $2,000 for information leading to an arrest, though that amount doubles for tips leading to the arrest of someone charged with crimes against children or first responders.
In November 2025, Crime Stoppers expanded its intake options by adding a text-a-tip feature, allowing tipsters to text ETTIPS to 738477 in addition to using its hotline, its P3 Tips app, or its online form at easttnvalleycrimestoppers.org. Anyone who recognizes the man in the North Ridge Crossing photo can call **TIPS or 877-36ETTIP (877-363-8847), submit a tip online, use the app, or send a text, with standard messaging rates applying for text submissions.
Part of a Broader Public Safety Picture
The appeal comes as Knoxville police report a notably quieter start to 2026 on the violent crime front. The department recorded zero homicides during the first quarter of the year, the city's first murder-free first quarter since 1988, alongside an 82 percent drop in non-fatal shootings compared to the same period in 2025. KPD has attributed the trend to place-based and person-based policing initiatives.
The North Ridge Crossing case is one of several identity appeals Crime Stoppers and Knoxville police have circulated recently. Similar bulletins this month have sought a Ray Mears Blvd theft suspect, three people connected to an incident on Cumberland Avenue, and a fugitive wanted across three counties. Whether the man sought in the North Ridge Crossing case faces any charges remains unknown, and Crime Stoppers has released no further narrative details about what investigators believe occurred.
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