Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr., a 43-year-old Alcoa man accused of killing Blount County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Greg McCowan and wounding Deputy Shelby Eggers during a February 8, 2024 traffic stop, is scheduled for a new preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

DeHart faces over a dozen charges, including premeditated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, multiple firearm-related offenses as a convicted felon, and aggravated assault against first responders. The new hearing was ordered after a judge ruled DeHart was denied his constitutional right to retain private counsel following his arrest; he had initially been represented by public defenders.

Body and dashboard camera footage from Deputy Eggers, who has since returned to duty as a K-9 officer, is expected to be central to the proceeding, which will be presided over by specially assigned Judge Robert E. Lee Davies. The judge will determine whether sufficient probable cause exists to send the case to a grand jury, where prosecutors have previously indicated they will seek the death penalty if a first-degree murder indictment is returned—a rarity in recent Blount County history.

DeHart fled after the shooting, sparking a four-day manhunt that ended with his arrest in East Knoxville on February 13, 2024; several associates were also charged with helping him evade capture.