Board recommends denying parole

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A parole hearing was held on Tuesday for Christopher Savannah, the man charged in the death of Loudon County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Chris Jenkins.

According to an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Jenkins was killed after Savannah hit him as he was trying to remove a ladder from the roadway of I-75 in Loudon County in February of 2022. Savannah was driving a tractor-trailer that day, and was found to have been smoking marijuana before and while driving.

In November of 2023, Savannah pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison on charges of vehicular homicide, two counts of felony reckless endangerment and several other violations.

At the end of Tuesday’s initial parole hearing for Savannah, Board of Parole Chairman Roberta Kustoff voted to deny parole due to how serious the offense was and because his parole case will be reviewed again in three years.

To improve chances of parole at his next hearing, Kustoff recommended Savannah complete programming as recommended by his Strong R assessment and maintain positive institutional behavior.

Now, the seven-member Board will independently review Savannah’s parole case and cast their votes. The Board can adopt, reject or modify Kustoff’s recommendation.

For this case, officials said there needs to be four concurring votes for a final decision to be reached, which is expected to be reached within the next couple of weeks.