Sevier County deputy out of ICU following crash, family says

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - A Sevier County deputy was hospitalized following a crash, according to officials with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Michael Hodges told WVLT News that SCSO Deputy Johnathan Dodd and his K-9 were in a car crash Saturday night.

On May 21 at 11:45 p.m., Deputy Dodd initiated a traffic stop on a silver Lincoln passenger car at the Exit 412 off-ramp on the eastbound side of I-40, a release stated. However, the vehicle refused to stop and fled.

During the pursuit, the deputy was involved in a collision with a white full-size truck towing an enclosed trailer, Hodges said.

He was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he remains in critical but stable condition. As of Tuesday, the deputy’s wife, Cheyenne Dodd, said that medical staff thought he was “doing well enough to move him out of the ICU” and that they were transferred to another room.

According to Cheyenne, the deputy had communicated more with his hands and head. She also shared that he had stood up four times since the crash.

His K-9 partner, Toro, was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and suffered minor injuries but is expected to make a full recovery, Hodges shared.

The fire department asked that supporters and the community pray for the sheriff’s office, Deputy Dodd, and his friends and family.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will lead the investigation into the crash, while the SCSO will investigate the vehicle that fled from Deputy Dodd.

“We work alongside these deputies almost every day, and we are praying for a full recovery,” THP shared.

Those with information about the incident are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 865-453-4668 or the THP at 865-594-5800.

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