FENTRESS COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Fentress County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. is investigating after finding a person dead on Old Turnpike Road, according to a news release from the office.

It happened Wednesday night, the release said, when deputies responded to a call that a person had died. That person was identified as Stephen Joe Hicks, who the office said died during an “altercation.”

The release also said a witness had identified Phillip Hope as the suspect. He was found, according to the sheriff’s office, at a home on Gatewood Trail. The office also said deputies found a weapon they believe Hope used.

Hope has since been booked into the Fentress County Justice Center and charged with criminal homicide.

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