KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — An Alcoa man helped Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr. the night he shot and killed a Blount County deputy, going to a West Knoxville store to buy two cell phones and two SIM cards to help him evade arrest, court records state.
Maurice D. Warren, 46, appeared Friday morning in Knox County General Sessions Court for a bond hearing following his arrest Wednesday. He faces a felony count of being an accessory after the fact for aiding DeHart, who is accused of killing Deputy Greg McCowan and wounding Deputy Shelby Eggers.
"It's a very serious crime that you've been accused of -- aiding the person who committed that crime," General Sessions Court Judge Judd Davis told Warren.
Warren has admitted to the TBI that he helped DeHart, and has made similar admissions on monitored phone calls from jail, according to the prosecution.
He's due back in General Sessions Court on March 5 for a possible preliminary hearing.
DeHart called Warren and his brother within an hour of the shooting the night of Feb. 8, prosecutors said Friday. He asked them to meet him in woods, according to the prosecution.
Warren bought the TracFones and SIM cards from a store on Ray Mears Boulevard in West Knoxville with $156 in cash, a warrant from TBI Special Agent Kris Sanders states.
"Surveillance video footage obtained from the store" shows Warren making the purchases, the warrant states.
"Warren then gave the cellular phones and SIM cards to DeHart," records state.
Prosecutors sought Friday morning to hold Warren in jail in lieu of $100,000 bond. They said they fear he could be a flight risk. Defense attorneys argued he could be monitored on pre-trial release.
Davis elected to set bond at $20,000 and ordered Warren to have no contact with anyone charged in connection with DeHart or the shooting in Blount or Sevier counties.
"Any violation of that will be problematic for you," Davis warned.
Warren has longtime ties to Alcoa, a community with which DeHart also is intimately familiar.
Warren has refereed youth basketball in Alcoa for about 10 years. He grew up in Alcoa after moving to the area from Florida, lawyers said Friday.
He also has an arrest record dating back about 20 years, prosecutors said Friday morning. His record includes a conviction for evading arrest and felony theft in 2004 in Sevier County, according to prosecutors.
He's failed to show up to court on some past charges and has faced contempt charges as well, according to prosecutors.
"It appears you don't ever listen to anybody in court when they tell you to do something," Davis told Warren.
In Blount County, DeHart is awaiting prosecution on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Authorities in the case have told WBIR they expect more arrests as they learn who all helped DeHart while he was on the run for approximately five days. Police took DeHart into custody Wednesday afternoon at an East Knoxville home. He moved frequently during the time he was a fugitive, authorities have said.