Sergeant Scott Hollenbeck
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said farewell to Sergeant Scott Hollenbeck who retired last week after spending his entire 29-year career in Cocke County.
Sgt. Hollenbeck, an Indiana native, joined the TWRA in 1989 after serving several years with the U.S.
Border Patrol. He was assigned to work in East Tennessee in Cocke Co. along the North Carolina line, which includes parts of the Cherokee National Forest and borders the GSMNP. Due to this geographic location, many of Sgt. Hollenbeck’s duties involved enforcement of black bear hunting laws including illegal baiting, hunting out of season and occasional hunting in bear sanctuaries or inside the national park. Sgt. Hollenbeck also excelled at apprehending white-tailed deer poachers who would frequently hunt from their vehicles on public roads and spotlight deer at night. In addition to wildlife law enforcement, Sgt. Hollenbeck spent a great deal of time on the French Broad River, the Nolichucky River, the Pigeon River, and Douglas Lake inspecting boats and fishermen for compliance with state and federal regulations.
District 42 Capt. Tim Sain who supervised Sgt. Hollenbeck for several years said, “Scott’s been a tremendous asset to the agency and his entire community and will be sincerely missed by everyone in the TWRA.” District 42 Lt. Jeff Prater said, “Sgt. Hollenbeck was as professional as any officer we’ve had and he had the unique ability to handle his administrative responsibilities as a field supervisor as well as being able to excel in his law enforcement duties.”