Claiborne checkpoints planned

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety roadside safety checkpoint on June 9, 2023 @ U.S Highway 25E, State Route 32, Near the Cumberland Gap Tunnell State Route 58

Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 others every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.

Woman charged with trying to order hit on wife of man she met on app

KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee woman has been accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the wife of a man she met on a dating app, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Melody Sasser is charged with murder for hire, according to the complaint filed last month in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

An account linked to Sasser during an investigation used a dark-web hosted site to order the killing of a woman in Prattville, Alabama, WATE-TV reported, citing the complaint.

A special agent with the Department of Homeland Security received information about the plot from a foreign law enforcement agency on April 27 and an investigation revealed that Sasser and the woman’s husband met through Match.com, the complaint said.

When the intended victim was informed of the threat by authorities, she said her husband and Sasser were hiking friends in Knoxville before he moved to Alabama, the complaint said. The victim also said Sasser had harassed and threatened her and her husband since finding out they were engaged, according to the complaint.

Sasser, of Knoxville, was linked to the account that made the “order for murder” through Bitcoin purchases that were used to send money to the account, the complaint said.

An attorney listed for Sasser did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Sasser is expected in federal court in Knoxville on June 8, WATE-TV reported.