Knoxville man charged with pretending to be a security guard at Tennessee Valley Fair
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. September 18, 2024 A Knoxville man was arrested after authorities said he impersonated a security guard at the Tennessee Valley Fair last week.
According to court records, 31-year-old Luke Power Jones went to the Tennessee Valley Fair on Monday, Sept. 9 wearing black pants, a black leather belt, black hat and a black shirt with “Security” written across the front of it and went through the fair’s front gate under the assumption he was working security for the event.
Jones then walked up to a sold out concert being held that night and went behind the barricades and through private doors and hallways to get backstage at the amphitheater, court documents say.
Police said Jones told other staff that he was working security for the event but ran from the scene before being detained.
Sunday evening, officers saw Jones on Magnolia Avenue and detained him.
In an interview with police, Jones said he was a licensed security guard who had been working for about two weeks but quit and turned in his license. However, he couldn’t provide a name or phone number for the security company he said he worked for.
Jones also said he had security training to get his certification and had worked security at several places in Knoxville. Additionally, he told police where he bought the “security” shirt, belt and a pair of handcuffs before taking them to his home to surrender them.
Jones was charged with criminal trespass, impersonating a licensed professional and theft.
