Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen today named Officer Eric Parks and Officer Robert Blevins the Officers of the Month for May 2006. Officer Parks has been with the department since November 2003. Officer Blevins has been with KPD since May 2002.

Chief Owen said that on April 9, 2006 at approximately 10:30 p.m. the Weigel's Store located at 300 Cedar Lane was robbed at knifepoint. A few minutes after the robbery Sgt. John Kiely encountered the suspect's vehicle, but the driver fled on foot before the officer could get in position for the felony stop. The money stolen from the robbery along with the knife and clothes worn during the robbery were discovered inside the suspect's vehicle. Fingerprints taken from these items matched those of 36 year-old Carlton Wayne Wallace. At that time, Wallace was a suspect in several bank robberies.

Chief Owen said, "Officer Parks and Officer Blevins were assigned the duty of tracking down and capturing the suspect. These officers spent more than 40 hours of their personal time in researching, investigating and tracking the suspect."

On May 6 at approximately 7:00 p.m., Officer Parks and Officer Blevins had successfully tracked Wallace to a motel on Clinton Highway. Due to the possibility the suspect would not be taken into custody without a confrontation, a team of officers was assembled before the suspect was approached. By 7:50 p.m., the responding officers had secured the motel. Nine minutes later the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Wallace confessed to three bank robberies (BB&T, 4611 Kingston Pike; Suntrust, 700 Merchants Road; and Home Federal Bank, 4900 North Broadway) as well as the robbery of the Weigel's store. In addition, Wallace could be connected with numerous crimes in other jurisdictions.

Chief Owen said, "These officers made it their mission to track down and arrest this dangerous suspect. During their investigation they remained focused on their task. The mother of the suspect even sent a letter thanking them for the way they handled the case in a professional manner."

Mayor Haslam said, "Officer Blevins and Officer Parks have exceeded the already high standards set by the Knoxville Police Department. Due to their tireless efforts this dangerous criminal is now behind bars. We commend them on an outstanding job."

Both officers will receive a signed certificate from the Mayor and Chief along with a free dinner from the Bayou Bay Seafood House.