Mario Boone joins WLOS

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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WLOS has hired a new reporter. His name is Mario Boone and comes from the CBS affiliate in Knoxville. More:

MARIO BOONE is a North Carolina native who is happy to be working in his home state. He joins News 13 from the CBS affiliate in Knoxville, TN where he served as the Cops and Courts Beat reporter. One of his most high profile stories was the trial of David Kernell, convicted of hacking former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s email account.

After graduating Hillside High in Durham, Mario studied broadcast journalism at the prestigious Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. Since graduating with a B.A. degree Mario has reported in several TV markets including Myrtle Beach, Shreveport, and Savannah. Mario also freelanced at CNN headquarters in Atlanta as an assignment coordinator on the Regional and By Request desks.

To the surprise of most, Mario is also a former Georgia state law enforcement officer. He spent nearly 5 years supervising violent felons including tracking and arresting fugitives and testifying in Superior Court.

His most exciting professional challenge: learning how to shoot and qualifying with a Glock .40 semi-auto weapon and covering the federal sex trafficking trial of cult leader Tony Alamo.