Regional focus is on Loudon County today as residents prepare for the Celebration of Life and burial of Sgt. Christopher Jenkins of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office. Gov. Bill Lee has ordered the state capitol flag and all Loudon County flags to fly at half-staff today, sunrise to sunset.
Loudon County schools are closed today and will resume Thursday, Feb. 10. The Farragut-West Knox Chamber and Loudon County Chamber of Commerce canceled a networking event on Feb. 8 and has rescheduled it for Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Family and friends will gather at Loudon High School gym at 1 p.m. Following the service, a horse-drawn caisson will take Sgt. Jenkins to his final resting place, according to a report from WATE-TV.
The caisson unit traveled 500 miles from North Carolina to honor Jenkins. The unit is operated by the North Carolina Troopers Association and the state’s highway patrol. A riderless horse will follow Sgt. Jenkins’ casket to the cemetery.
Sgt. Jenkins, 48, of Loudon, passed away February 3, 2022, while in the service of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office. He is a 1992 graduate of Loudon High School and proud member of the Loudon Redskin football team, and a veteran of the United States Air Force. Jenkins is a 20-year veteran of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional obituary information is here.