NOTIFICATION: Expungement Screening will be closed Thursday, June 2.
Press Releases
Repeat Child Molester Sent to Prison
Posted: 05/06/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Child Abuse Unit obtained a fourteen-year sentence against a sex offender who molested an eleven-year-old child. Christopher Layne Spencer, 45, was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery and one count of Violation of the Sex Offender Registry. In a sentencing hearing today, Judge Kyle Hixson ordered Spencer to serve fourteen years in prison....more
Child Rapist Convicted of Abusing a Five-Year-Old Child
Posted: 05/04/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a child beginning when the child was five years old. Carl Richard Chesney, 38, was convicted of Rape of a Child, Sexual Activity involving a Minor, and two counts each of Aggravated Sexual Battery and Rape. Judge Scott Green revoked Chesneys bond, ordered him into custody, and set the case for sentencing on June 10....more
Police Officer Pleads Guilty and Resigns
Posted: 04/14/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's office prosecuted a case against a police officer who lied on an arrest warrant. Joseph Charles Roberts, 23, pled guilty to Tampering with Governmental Records, a felony involving falsifying information on an affidavit. Judge Scott Green accepted the length of sentence of two years and set the case for sentencing on June 29 where the State will argue against Roberts' request for judicial diversion. As part of the plea, Roberts resigned from the Knoxville Police Department....more
Tree Top Piru Gang Members Sentenced
Posted: 04/08/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Career Gang Unit obtained convictions against several members of the Tree Top Piru street gang on homicide and drug trafficking charges. Raffell Malik Griffin, Jr., 30, was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty-five years after being convicted of First Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Sell Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony....more
DNA Leads to Aggravated Rape Conviction
Posted: 04/06/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions against a man who raped an intoxicated woman. David Lyndel Cochran, 49, was convicted of one count of Aggravated Rape, two counts of Rape, and one count of Aggravated Kidnapping. Judge Steve Sword revoked the defendant's bond and set the case for sentencing on May 26....more
Child Abuser Sentenced to Twenty Years in Prison
Posted: 04/04/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a man who sexually abused two children. Johnathan Townsend Sloane, 47, pled guilty to two counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Judge Scott Green imposed a sentence of twenty years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Correction without the possibility of parole....more
Shooting at Fourth of July Celebration Leads to Murder Conviction
Posted: 03/25/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions after a shooting occurred at a Fourth of July celebration. Brandon Jamal McCaleb, 29, was convicted of First Degree Murder, Attempted First Degree Murder, Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Judge Steve Sword ordered McCaleb to serve life in prison on the murder count and set the case for sentencing on May 26 for the remaining counts....more
Man Convicted of Rape of a Child of a Third Grader
Posted: 03/24/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a man who sexually assaulted an eight-year-old child. Erik Courtney Lehto, 53, was convicted of two counts of Rape of a Child, Solicitation of Rape of a Child, and Aggravated Sexual Battery. Judge Kyle Hixson set the case for sentencing on May 20....more
Murderer Convicted of Shooting His Girlfriend
Posted: 03/22/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Major Crimes Unit obtained a conviction against a man who shot his girlfriend and initially claimed it was a suicide. Timothy Dion Wells, 47, was found guilty-as-charged and convicted of Second Degree Murder. Judge Kyle Hixson revoked Wells' bond, ordered him into custody, and set the case for sentencing on May 19 where Wells faces fifteen to twenty-five years in prison without the possibility of parole....more
Drug Dealer Convicted of Possessing Meth on School Grounds Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years
Posted: 03/04/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Career Gang Unit obtained a twenty-five-year sentence against a defendant who possessed twenty grams of methamphetamine in an elementary school parking lot. Michael Robert Quinn, 38, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Methamphetamine in a Drug Free School Zone, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving on a Suspended License, and Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance. Judge Steve Sword sentenced Quinn to serve twenty-five years in prison without the possibility of parole....more
Repeat Child Molester Convicted at Trial
Posted: 03/03/2022Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen's Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a sex offender who molested an eleven-year-old child. Christopher Layne Spencer, 45, was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery and one count of Violation of the Sex Offender Registry. Judge Kyle Hixson ordered Spencer into custody and set the case for sentencing on April 14....more
