Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief David Rausch named Officer Edmund Randolph and Officer Lee Shaw the December Co-Officers of the Month. Officer Randolph has been with KPD since April 1989 while Officer Shaw has been with the department since January 1994.

Chief Rausch said that on December 7, 2011, Officer Shaw received information from an officer in Union County indicating a wanted burglary suspect may be operating and hiding in Knoxville. The suspect had committed several home burglaries in Union County including the theft of firearms. Union County authorities had chased the suspect on two occasions, but the suspect eluded capture both times. Union County investigators also believed the suspect had committed additional burglaries in Knox County and that he may be with his girlfriend in the Callahan Road area.

Throughout the day Officers Randolph and Shaw continued to search for the suspect between their calls for service. At approximately 4:15 p.m. the suspect's vehicle was located in a Callahan Road motel parking lot.

Chief Rausch said, "Knowing that the suspect was possibly armed and with his history of fleeing, Officers Randolph and Shaw developed a plan to safely and efficiently apprehend the suspect. With support personnel in place, the officers initiated contact with the suspect."

The suspect failed to respond at first, but eventually started talking to Officer Shaw. After several minutes of dialog, Officers Randolph and Shaw were able to convince the suspect to open the door and surrender. Officers discovered stolen checks, prescription bottles of Oxycodone, and hand-written notes connecting him to multiple burglaries.

The suspect, Carl Evans (DOB 3-27-84), was turned over to Union County authorities were he was charged with multiple felonies including theft, forgery, and burglary. Evans' girlfriend, Tasha Raley (DOB 12-21-90), was arrested on Knox County charges of Failure to Appear and Violation of Probation from theft charges.

Chief Rausch said, "Officers Randolph and Shaw worked vigilantly as a team to investigate, locate, and capture the two suspects. Their arrest not only cleared several cases, but prevented future crimes from occurring."

Mayor Rogero said, "The citizens appreciate the efforts of Officer Randolph and Officer Shaw for doing their part to help protect the citizens we serve."


Click here to view a listing of previous KPD award winners.