Homeowner Holds Home Invasion Suspect at Gunpoint Until Cops Arrive

An early morning home invasion in Sevier County on Tuesday has resulted in the arrest of one man after the homeowner confronted and detained the armed suspect.

23-year-old Darrick C. Whaley, of Dandridge, is facing numerous charges after he allegedly broke into an occupied residence and threatened the homeowner with a handgun.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, from residents of a home on Douglas Dam Road in Kodak who reported that a man with a handgun had kicked open the door and entered their home.

According to Sheriff Ron Seals, a man and woman were asleep in an upstairs bedroom of their home when they heard the noise of the door being kicked in downstairs. The man got up and armed himself with a handgun. He encountered the intruder, later identified as Whaley, and during a confrontation that intruder pointed a handgun at the homeowner and stated someone was after him. The homeowner warned the intruder not to come up the stairs and eventually he complied and was held at gunpoint by the homeowner until officers arrived.

Officers disarmed Whaley without incident and upon searching him, found meth and a syringe.

Whaley was charged with Especially Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm during a Violent Felony, and Possession of a Schedule II Narcotic. He is held in the Sevier County Jail awaiting arraignment.

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.