A Hancock County church was destroyed by fire Monday morning.

According to Joe Davis, Pastor of Briar Creek Baptist Church in Sneedville, all that's left standing of the small church is the block walls of the sanctuary. They also lost the fellowship hall, which is connected to the main church building.

One of the firefighters, who is also a deacon of the church, was able to cut a hole through a wall into the pastor's office so he could save the church records.

It started as an innocent Valentine's Day surprise from a friend and ended in disaster for Sue Downes and her family.

(WBIR, Rutledge) - Five former workers at the Grainger County Detention Center made their first appearance in court Monday morning after being indicted on various charges.

In November, the Grainger County Detention Center was locked down after three inmates escaped and weren't missed for days.

The escapes exposed major security and operational issues in the jail.

The TBI opened an investigation into the facility and its employees.

A grand jury returned indictments on five of the workers including the sheriff's son.