Last Updated on October 27, 2026 3:23 pm
JOHNSON COUNTY, Tenn. – The trial is underway today, Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a man accused of shooting a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy during a chase that began with an armed robbery in Watauga County in April 2025.
A jury was seated Monday for Joey Ponce, who appeared in court in Johnson County, Tennessee, according to WCYB. Trial began Tuesday morning.
Officials say the chase began after an armed robbery at the QP store in Vilas on April 22, 2025. The suspect fled north on U.S. 421 into Tennessee, where Johnson County deputies tried to stop his vehicle.
According to Johnson County Sheriff Clifton Worley, the chase reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. The suspect then entered a business parking lot, got out of the vehicle while it was still moving and began firing at officers.
One deputy was shot in the leg and recovered. Ponce was also shot and had surgery.
In Johnson County, Ponce is charged with attempted first-degree murder, felony evading arrest and employing a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. At the time of his arrest in April 2025, Ponce also had pending charges in Watauga County for felony robbery with a dangerous weapon, as WataugaOnline reported then.
Assistant District Attorney General Dennis Brooks of Tennessee’s First Judicial District told WCYB that prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek life without parole.
Charges are allegations, and Ponce is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
