MARYVILLE – Blount County Sheriff James L. Berrong said that Phillip L. Hammock, 38, is in custody in Jefferson County, Ala. Hammock has been on the run since October 23, following a police pursuit and subsequent manhunt in Townsend last weekend.
Hammock was taken into custody without incident at around 1:30 a.m. this morning by the Cordova Police Department in Alabama. Hammock has active warrants in Jefferson County, Ala., for theft of a vehicle and violation of probation. Hammock also faces charges in Tennessee, from both the Pigeon Forge and Townsend Police Department, for armed robbery, evading arrest, and possession of a stolen vehicle, among other charges. The Pigeon Forge Police Department has extradition papers on file for Hammock, but it is not known when he will be returned to Tennessee.
The Townsend Police Department, with the help of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, pursued Hammock in Townsend following the armed robbery of a business in Pigeon Forge. The chase ended after Hammock crashed a stolen truck into a rental cabin in Townsend. Hammock then fled on foot into the heavily wooded area around Townsend. Approximately 60 law enforcement and other emergency services personnel from several area agencies participated in the search, including the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Townsend Police Department, U.S. Park Service, Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, Townsend Volunteer Fire Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
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