A 39-year-old woman last known to live on Canberra Drive is being sought on active felony theft warrants stemming from an incident in Knoxville's Downtown West commercial area, according to a public appeal issued Friday. Trisha Renee George, born January 19, 1987, stands 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds, per the warrant description. Investigators say the warrants were active as of Thursday.
The alert came from East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, the regional nonprofit that regularly publicizes wanted subjects across East Tennessee. The organization is asking anyone with information on George's whereabouts to come forward anonymously, noting that all warrants are subject to change and that George, like anyone named in a Crime Stoppers alert, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Downtown West Boulevard, where the theft allegedly occurred, is a major commercial retail corridor in West Knoxville anchored by shopping centers, retail suites and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facility near Kingston Pike and Interstate 40/75, according to LoopNet property listings for the area. The corridor sits in the 37919 zip code, which serves tens of thousands of local households.
What the Felony Charge Could Mean
Tennessee law draws a hard line between misdemeanor and felony theft at the $1,000 mark. Under Tennessee Code § 39-14-105, theft crosses into felony territory once the value of stolen goods or services exceeds that threshold, with Class E felony theft carrying a punishment of one to six years in prison and fines up to $3,000, according to a Tennessee criminal defense legal resource. It remains unclear exactly what merchandise or property is at the center of the Downtown West case.
Public booking records show George was previously booked in Knox County on charges including possession of controlled substances with intent to sell and drug paraphernalia, per Recently Booked arrest data. Under Tennessee sentencing guidelines, defendants with repeat felony convictions can face Range II or Range III statutory enhancements that significantly lengthen mandatory prison terms if convicted, the same legal resource notes.
How the Tip Line Works
Anyone with information on George can call 877-363-8847, text ETtips to 847411 or 738477, submit a tip through the P3 Tips app, or go online at easttnvalleycrimestoppers.org. Tips are handled through dedicated phone and digital channels without caller ID or call recording, so tipsters remain completely anonymous and are never required to testify in court, per the organization's stated privacy protections.
Only tips submitted through Crime Stoppers that lead to an arrest qualify for a reward, and standard payouts run up to $2,000, funded entirely through private contributions and community donations rather than tax dollars. Board members can double that amount to as much as $4,000 in cases involving crimes against children or first responders, though the George case does not fall into that enhanced category.
A Regional Track Record
East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers was established on May 1, 2021, as a regional 501(c)(3) nonprofit through a joint initiative involving the Knoxville Mayor's Office, City Council and Knoxville Police Department, and it now partners with more than 30 law enforcement agencies across six East Tennessee counties. Between May 2021 and December 2023, the organization processed 6,072 anonymous tips that led to 118 arrests, 70 fugitive apprehensions and $49,500 in distributed cash rewards, according to WBIR.
The appeal for George arrives amid a broader shift in Knoxville's public safety picture. The city recorded zero homicides during the first quarter of 2026 — its first murder-free Q1 since 1988 — following a 26 percent drop in homicides in 2025, per the same WBIR report. Crime Stoppers continues to lean on tips from residents to close out open warrant cases like this one, even as violent crime trends downward.
