The Tennessee Department of Safety announced the promotions of seven members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The promotion ceremony was Monday at 10:30 a.m. at the THP Training Center located at 275 Stewarts Ferry Pike in Nashville.
29-year veteran Rex Prince is the new Captain over the Nashville District after serving as Lieutenant in charge of the Ordinance Section from 1996 to 2007. Mr. Prince began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1978 and has served as a Road Trooper in all 12 counties in the Nashville District. From 1988 to 1992, he served Special Operations as a SWAT sniper, K-9 handler, diver and motorcycle patrolman. He is retired after 31 years of service in the National Guard, including six months in Mosul, Iraq as a Staff Sergeant with the 278th Aviation Combat Regiment. Captain Prince is married with two sons, ages 28 and 31. He is a native of Camden, Tn., and currently resides in Murfreesboro.
Robert Brown, also a 29-year veteran, has been promoted to Captain over the Support Services Division after serving the past nine years as Lieutenant in the Nashville District. Mr. Brown began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1977 as a Road Trooper in Dickson County. He is a graduate of the Police Administration Training Program and the Traffic Institute at Northwestern University. Mr. Brown served in the Planning and Research Section from 1984-1987 and as Departmental Facilities Manager from 1987-1991 before being promoted to Sergeant in Cheatham County, where he served from 1991-1998. As Lieutenant, he served in Montgomery, Stewart, Houston, Robertson, Rutherford, Williamson and Davidson Counties. A native of Dickson, Captain Brown is the father of a daughter and two sons and makes his home in Murfreesboro.
Vic Donoho has been promoted to Captain in the Office of Professional Responsibility (formerly the Internal Affairs Division) which is charged with managing investigative and disciplinary processes for the Department of Safety. Since February 2003, Mr. Donoho has served as administrative Lieutenant in the Cookeville District. He began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1989 as Road Trooper in Van Buren and White Counties. His career also includes two years as a Road Trooper in Smith and DeKalb Counties, and four years at the Governor*s Residence. He has also served as a Road Lieutenant in Robertson, Davidson, Macon, Trousdale, Smith and Dekalb Counties, and Lieutenant in the Planning and Research Division. Captain Donoho is a 1999 graduate of the NHTSA Officer Leadership program, a 2001 graduate of the Northwestern Police School Staff and Command and attended Volunteer State Community College. He currently resides in Lafayette and is married with three young children.
James Hutcherson is promoted to Lieutenant in the Nashville District as a Midnight Supervisor after serving as Sergeant in Montgomery, Stewart, Houston, Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham and Williamson Counties since 1997. Lieutenant Hutcherson began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1983 as a THP dispatcher in Nashville. In 1986, he was commissioned as a Road Trooper in Williamson and Dickson Counties and also served in the Planning and Research Division. Lieutenant Hutcherson is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and attended Austin Peay State University. He is married with three children and lives in his hometown of Dickson.
In addition to advancing three members of the THP to Captain and one to
Lieutenant, the Department of Safety also promoted three Sergeants.
Randall D. Huckeby is promoted to Sergeant, serving Blount County in the Knoxville District. Mr. Huckeby began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1995, first working as a Road Trooper in Cumberland County from 1996-2003. He served as a Road Trooper in Roane County from 2003 to 2007, with assignments that included motorcycle patrol, DUI instructor and the Knoxville District Law Enforcement Strike Team. As a Master Sergeant with the Tennessee Air National Guard*s 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson Air Base, Sergeant Huckeby also has 20 years of military service. He is a Scott County native and currently lives in Kingston with his three sons, ages 13, 11 and 9.
Phillip Dunn is promoted to Sergeant, serving McMinn County in the Chattanooga District. Mr. Dunn began his career with the Department of Safety in 1988 with the Office of Financial Responsibility before serving as a dispatcher from 1989-1992. In 1992, he was commissioned as a Road Trooper in McMinn County and has served in the same capacity in Rhea County since 1994. Mr. Dunn is a native of Evensville and lives in Spring City with his wife. He is the father of four children.
William T. Fox is promoted to Sergeant, serving as a member of the Critical Incident Response Team (C.I.R.T.), which is responsible for crash reconstruction and assisting troopers in the investigation of vehicular homicide and criminal homicide cases. Mr. Fox began his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1984 as a Road Trooper in Knox County in the Knoxville District. Sergeant Fox has also served as a Road Trooper in Blount County from 1985-1993 and in Sevier County from 1993 to 2001. He is currently assigned to C.I.R.T. Team One, investigating crashes in 24 counties of the Knoxville and Fall Branch Districts. Fox is a Sevier County native and lives in Seymour with his wife and two teenaged sons.
As part of the recent promotions, Captain Thomas *Chip* Miler is being reassigned from Director of Support Services to serve as Captain overseeing Safety Education Officers in districts across the state.
The Tennessee Department of Safety (www.tennessee.gov/safety) is responsible for ensuring the safety and general welfare of the traveling public. The department*s general areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education and motorist services including the issuance of driver licenses. The department and its highly trained staff of Troopers are responsible for safety on more than 15,000 miles of state and federal highways.