KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A young Knoxville Police officer is back on the job after an internal investigation concluded he was responsible for a serious, preventable crash that sent him and a Knoxville woman to the hospital, records obtained by 10News show.
The department's Collision Review Board spent four months investigating the North Knoxville crash that took place on March 14 at Woodland Avenue and Central Street.
The collision happened shortly after 5 p.m. A report identifies the female motorist as Kimberly Brown, 45, of Knoxville and the officer as Austin Plugge, 23.
Brown was driving south on Central Street toward the intersection while Plugge was heading east on Woodland Avenue. Plugge was turning left toward North Central when he went through a red light. Brown's Honda hit Plugge's Dodge on the driver's side and the two collided.
The Honda ended up on its side.
Plugge had his emergency equipment activated, indicating he was responding to an emergency call. According to Knoxville Police spokesperson Scott Erland, Plugge was on his way to help a fellow officer who was in a foot pursuit around North Broadway and Woodrow Drive.
Erland said department general orders state an officer responding in an emergency vehicle can go through a red light, "but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation."
Brown was taken to the hospital for minor injuries and has hired a lawyer to pursue legal action against the city. Plugge was also checked out at a hospital.
On July 29, Plugge signed a "statement of disciplinary action" stating he was suspended for two days without pay and is required to complete driving training.
Plugge has been on the force since February of last year and was involved in a different preventable crash about four months after getting sworn in.
10News obtained records that show he was driving west on Central Avenue Pike in June of 2023 when he hit a curb with the passenger side tires causing them to go flat and bending the rims.
According to Knoxville Police, no one else was involved in that incident.
Records show Plugge was counseled at the time about the importance of "not driving beyond your capability," "the importance of taking care of City of Knoxville Equipment," and "the dangers of driving too fast for conditions."
The department's Collision Review Board was created two years ago under Chief Paul Noel as a way to create consistency when investigating officer-involved crashes, according to Erland.
10News requested records detailing the Collision Review Board's investigations since its inception in 2022. Knoxville Police declined our request, and City of Knoxville Deputy Law Director Ron Mills provided this statement:
"Records generated by KPD’s Collision Review Board are exempt from public inspection under Tennessee’s public records laws in that they’re considered attorney work product- they’re produced in anticipation of possible litigation. In fact, representatives from the Law Department and Risk Management attend the Board’s meetings, advising the Board and participating in discussion. The “in anticipation of litigation” privilege is set forth in Rule 26.02(3) of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, and materials covered by that privilege are therefore exempt pursuant to the “unless otherwise provided by state law” language in Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(2)(A)."