KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville businessman has purchased a North Knoxville bank site that was forced to close in 2022 when an arsonist set several fires in it.
Rodney Napier Jr., through an LLC, bought the Regions Bank property at 707 N. Broadway from Alabama-based Regions on Dec. 29 for $1.475 million, according to records filed in Knox County Register of Deeds Nick McBride's office.
Napier is listed as registered agent for the newly created 707 Broadway LLC, state records show. An LLC tied to Napier owns several other parcels in the neighborhood, which is undergoing pronounced growth and development.
In February 2022, Kimani Funches walked into the bank and, using a lighter and an aerosol can he found in the bank, set fires to, among other things, a coat, chair and purse, records state.
No one was injured in the blazes.
Funches, 43, was charged with aggravated arson and ended up pleading guilty in Knox County Criminal Court in August to a reduced count of arson. He's now serving a 15-year sentence at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, Tenn.
The bank said at the time the branch would briefly close. It stayed closed, however. On Monday, a sign remained taped to the front door saying the branch had closed because of a fire.
The property sits on a triangle at the intersection of Broadway and Central Street just north of downtown.
The area has seen steady growth, including the opening of Yee-Haw Brewing Co. and ongoing construction of a new building for Axle Logistics.
