BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — The Blount County Commission is set to meet on March 21, when leaders will discuss a variety of proposals. One of those proposals would be to effectively increase the Blount County Sheriff's Office budget so that it could buy a replacement patrol vehicle and memorialize the one driven by a deputy who was fatally shot.
The proposal would effectively give the sheriff's office $70,725 so it could buy a new patrol vehicle and preserve the one driven by Greg McCowan. He was fatally shot in February during a traffic stop. Another deputy, Shelby Eggers, was wounded in the traffic stop.
"We respectfully request that you allow us to purchase a replacement vehicle, in order to preserve/memorialize the patrol vehicle that fallen deputy McCowan was assigned. We have already appropriated and planned for our budgeted vehicle funds for this year, and so ask that you would appropriate this increase, allowing us to incur this unplanned and unexpected expense, as we do not intend to reassign his patrol vehicle," said BCSO in a letter to the commission.
The letter also said the sheriff's office would be able to absorb smaller expenses related to McCowan's death in its current budget. However, it also said BCSO may return to the commission in May or June if the sheriff's office's budget for overtime costs runs out.
It said following the shooting, the sheriff's office used a "material amount" of overtime funds.
The man accused of shooting McCowan was arrested on Feb. 13 and the case is making its way through the court system. He last appeared in court on Feb. 20.
