David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

18-007971 (Incident/Arrest Report)

On March 15, 2018 at approximately 12:30 AM, a beige 1996 Ford Ranger pickup truck was stolen from a grocery store parking lot in Mars Hill, NC while the owner was at work. Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes later, that same stolen pickup, driven by Stephanie A. Houle, was westbound on East Center Street approaching a red traffic light at the intersection of East Sevier Avenue in Kingsport.

Meanwhile, a silver 2002 Hyundai Accent 4-door sedan, driven by Gregory A. Sturgill, was southbound on East Sevier Avenue and crossing the intersection with East Center Street under a green traffic light. The Ford ran the red light and struck the Hyundai directly in the driver’s door. The Hyundai was spun completely out of the roadway and into an adjacent building with such force that it knocked pieces of siding off of the structure.

Mr. Sturgill was killed in the crash. Ms. Houle crawled out of the back window of the wrecked Ford and ran from the scene to a nearby residence. She knocked on the door, and when the resident answered the door, she ran inside. The resident exited the home and summoned the arriving officers for help.

With the assistance of a Taser, responding officers overcame active resistance, and were eventually able to take Ms. Houle into custody, but not before she assaulted at least one of the arresting officers.

Once at the Kingsport City Jail, Ms. Houle performed poorly on a series of field sobriety tests. A check of her North Carolina driver license status and history revealed that it was currently suspended for a variety of previous offenses to include multiple prior convictions for Driving Under the Influence. She was ultimately charged with the following:

1) Vehicular Homicide

2) Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Collision Resulting in Death or Serious Injury

3) Driving Under the Influence

4) Driving on a Suspended License

5) Motor Vehicle Theft (Possession of a Stolen Vehicle)

6) Assault on a Police Officer

7) Resisting Arrest

Ms. Houle currently remains incarcerated pending arraignment. As this remains an active investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit, no additional information can or will be released at this time.

Investigators ask for anyone who witnessed this crash who has not yet spoken with law enforcement to please contact the K.P.D. Traffic Unit as soon as possible at 423-224-2750.

40 Years of Age

Alexander, North Carolina

2) Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Collision Resulting in Death or Serious Injury

3) Driving Under the Influence

4) Driving on a Suspended License

5) Motor Vehicle Theft (Possession of Stolen Vehicle)

6) Assault on a Police Officer

7) Resisting Arrest

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

18-007801 (Missing Person Report)

By coincidence; however, a Kingsport Police Officer happened to speak with her later in the evening on that same date outside Allandale Falls Apartments, located at 1000 University Boulevard; therefore, March 10, 2018 at approximately 8:30 PM is being considered the last point of contact.

Ms. Grover and her boyfriend are from South Carolina and have only been in Kingsport a few months. She is currently homeless, has no family support, no source of income, and no means of transportation. Due to these factors, coupled with both an alleged history of drug use and a perceived recent change in mental status, there is legitimate concern for her safety and well-being.

Ms. Grover is a 30 year old white female adult, standing approximately 5 feet 5 inches in height and weighing roughly 120 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She is believed to possibly be wearing a brown winter coat, blue jeans and brown boots.

She has been entered into N.C.I.C. as a missing/endangered person. Anyone who sees her, comes in contact with her, or has any potentially useful information to help determine her whereabouts is asked to promptly contact the K.P.D. Criminal Investigation’s Division at 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111.

Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link:

https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-us

Weight

120 pounds

Eyes

Blue Eyes

Blue Jeans

Brown Boots

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

18-005289 (Motor Vehicle Theft)

She said that she had left her vehicle unlocked while parked in the parking lot of the apartment complex overnight. She had also left a spare key to the vehicle in the center console. Sometime during the night, someone entered her unlocked vehicle, found the spare key, and drove her vehicle to the nearby McDonalds before returning it to the apartment complex. She noticed the next day that her vehicle had been moved. She found the McDonald’s receipt inside, and her spare key was missing.

The following night, the suspect(s) returned and apparently used the stolen key to take her vehicle on a second joy ride. Once again, the vehicle was mysteriously returned the same night and the spare key remained unaccounted for. This time a receipt from a Zoomerz convenience store, located on Fort Henry Drive, was left behind in the vehicle by the suspect(s).

Through further investigation by the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division, to include the review of surveillance video, Detectives have located footage of an unidentified white male individual who was believed to have been riding as a passenger in the stolen vehicle during one of the joy rides. Detectives have currently listed him as a person of interest and are attempting to learn his identity.

A photo of this person of interest is included in this release. Anyone who recognizes him is asked to contact the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division at 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111.

Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link:

https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-us

Finally, the Kingsport Police Department has issued multiple warnings, and would like to take this new opportunity to reemphasize, that leaving a vehicle unlocked is an inherently risky proposition in and of itself; however, leaving it unlocked with the keys in the vehicle is arguably asking for trouble and potentially even downright dangerous.

Anytime a vehicle is parked and unattended, the vehicle should be locked, all items of real or perceived value should be removed or at least hidden completely out of sight, and the keys should absolutely never, ever, be left in the vehicle.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Individuals who are interested in a career in law enforcement are encouraged to apply. All applicants must either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than October 24, 2018 (six months after the test date). Applicants are asked to only submit their application once, as weeding out duplicate applications hampers efficiency. All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

Following the April 8th deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming Police Applicant Testing procedures. All applicants will undergo a series of assessments, beginning with a written examination on the morning of Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The written examination will be administered at the Civic Auditorium, located at 1550 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport.

While not an absolute requirement, applicants are strongly encouraged to invest in the Stanard and Associates National Police Officer Selection Test “Online POST Study Guide” and “Online POST Practice Test” to assist them in preparing for this examination. These online study aids are currently priced very reasonably at $5 and $15 respectively and are available for purchase at the following link:

https://www.ApplyToServe.com/Study

Applicants should take note that this is a new format of written examination obtained from a completely different vendor than the City of Kingsport has previously used for Police Applicant Testing; therefore, other study guides that may have been recommended in the past and obtained and utilized by applicants to prepare for former tests may not be applicable to this new test.

Applicants who successfully pass the written examination will advance forward to a physical agility evaluation one week later on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, and endurance as related to the duties of a Police Officer.

Applicants are also strongly encouraged to participate in a voluntary practice physical agility evaluation and question and answer session. This session will take place on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 1:00 PM at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver of liability in order to be eligible to participate in this practice session.

A series of interviews will follow the written examination and physical agility evaluation, beginning with an interview panel and ultimately an interview with the Chief of Police, to further vet the top performing candidates and determine the final selections. The final selections will also be subject to a medical examination, psychological evaluation, and a thorough background check prior to actual hiring.

The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $15.76 per hour or $32,791 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for a salary adjustment to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific residency requirements.

City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental insurance; flexible spending accounts; ICMA RC 401 retirement; and optional ICMA RC 457 retirement.

For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call Lt. Chris Tincher with the K.P.D. Professional Standards Unit at 423-343-9805.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton