Last Updated on October 28, 2026 6:02 pm
MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. — A Johnson County, Tennessee, jury on Wednesday found Joey Allen Ponce guilty on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of employing a firearm with the intent to go armed in connection with the shooting of a Johnson County deputy, according to the Johnson County Clerk’s Office.
Ponce pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of evading arrest and one count of theft, according to the clerk’s office. The jury’s verdict came the next day. WataugaOnline reported Tuesday that the trial was underway.
The case began April 22, 2025, with an armed robbery at the QP store in Vilas, as WataugaOnline reported at the time. Prosecutors said Ponce then led officers on a multi-state pursuit that ended in Johnson County, Tennessee, where he fired at officers and a deputy was shot in the leg.
During the trial, a store clerk testified that Ponce demanded money and threatened to shoot her. Johnson County deputy Johnny Roberts testified that Ponce got out of the car with a gun, pointed it at an officer and fired, and that Roberts returned fire. Deputy Trevor Estrada told jurors he ducked while driving and felt the bullet go through his leg. Jurors also watched video from the officers’ perspective.
Ponce was arrested in May 2025. Prosecutors have said they will seek life in prison. Sentencing is set for Feb. 16, 2027.
