Scoop: Knoxville

: MORE THAN TWO POUNDS OF FENTANYL SEIZED IN ONGOING MULT-AGENCY INVESTIGATION

KNOX COUNTY – A multi-agency investigation by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force has resulted in the arrest of five people and the seizure of more than two pounds of fentanyl in connection to a Detroit, Michigan drug trafficking ring.

As part of an ongoing investigation, TBI special agents, working alongside the Knoxville Police Department Organized Crime Unit, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, and the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force, obtained a search warrant for a residence along Willoughby Road in Knoxville.

On Thursday afternoon, with assistance from the Knoxville Police Department Special Operations Squad and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, To***co and Fi****ms, investigators executed the search warrant, seizing over two pounds of fentanyl. Several ounces of methamphetamine, co***ne, ma*****na, cash, and a firearm were also seized. The following individuals, all from Detroit, Michigan, were arrested as part of the investigation and are facing felony charges. All are being held in the Knox County Jail.

• Ricardo Diandre Briggs (DOB: 1/10/85)
• Sylvester Neal III (DOB: 4/14/78)
• Paul Sanchez Biggs (DOB: 12/31/87)
• Eric Nathaniel Bradford (DOB: 1/6/69)
• Kenneth Jamal Briggs (DOB: 12/15/86)

These arrests are part of an initiative that began in December. The 313 Initiative is a concerted and organized effort by numerous state and local law enforcement agencies to identify, target, and dismantle individuals and groups from the Detroit area who are bringing deadly drug combinations into Knox County and surrounding areas.

UTPD has taken out warrants on Mark Alexander Bowman of Johnson City, Tennessee, in connection to an incident Saturday, October 9, when a female UT student was struck in the face after the football game. Bowman is charged with two counts of assault and one count of pedestrian crossing at a location other than a crosswalk.

: An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division has resulted in the indictment of a McMinn County woman on identity theft and criminal impersonation charges.

In May 2020, TBI agents began investigating allegations of identity theft involving Ellen Michelle Small (DOB 3/21/74) after she applied for a nursing position at a facility in Farragut. During the course of the investigation, agents determined that Small did not have a nursing license but used the license number of an individual with a similar name to apply for the position.

Last week, the Knox County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Small with one count of Identity Theft and one count of Impersonation of a Licensed Professional. Today, she was arrested and booked into the Knox County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

42-year-old Sean Venning charged with the production of child po*******hy.

A joint investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Johnson City Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has resulted in the arrest of a Johnson City man on sexual exploitation charges.

This week, after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, TBI Agents began working alongside detectives in Johnson City and Washington County in investigating allegations involving Sean Venning. During the course of the investigation, authorities determined that Venning was involved in producing child po*******hy.

This evening, Agents obtained a warrant for Sean Venning (DOB 1/5/79), charging him with Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. He was arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail on a $50,000 bond. At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing.