KNOXVILLE SEX OFFENDER HEADS TO COURT FOR CROSSVILLE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT RESTRICTION VIOLATION
Shane Thomas Powell, a 45-year-old registered sex offender from Knoxville, is scheduled to appear in the Cumberland County General Sessions Court on September 24, 2026. He faces a Class E felony charge for violating state sex offender residential and work restrictions, with attorney Aaron Barton representing him in the case.
The charges originate from a May 30 incident at a public park in Crossville, where Powell allegedly participated in a softball tournament, grew heavily intoxicated, and was escorted off the property after causing two separate altercations. Tournament management later identified Powell on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry and reported him to authorities.
Detective Tyrel Lorenz of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case using park surveillance footage, leading to the official filing of the warrant on June 8. Under Tennessee law, registered sex offenders are strictly prohibited from entering within 1,000 feet of a public park, forming the basis of the ongoing criminal proceedings.
