GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - On Feb. 28, 2019, Lanny Chris Carroll, 53, of Morristown, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable Leon Jordan, Senior U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 90 months in federal prison.
Carroll pleaded guilty in August 2018 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Feb. 13, 2018, officers with the Morristown Police Department were dispatched to a domestic violence call. They encountered Carroll attempting to enter a residence where his wife and her elderly father lived. His wife later advised police Carroll had called and threatened to kill her prior to arriving at the residence. After officers ordered him to stop and show his hands, Carroll drew a loaded Walther semi-automatic pistol from his waistband. Officers with the Morristown Police Department shot Carroll in the chest.
Carroll had been convicted of at least six felony offences in Hamblen County Criminal Court at the time of this crime.
“The U.S. Attorney’s office will not tolerate armed violence against police officers. We will continue to work with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners and the state district attorneys, using every tool and asset available, to ensure that violent criminals like Carroll are prosecuted and the threat they pose to the police and public is eliminated," said U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey.
Agencies involved in this investigation included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Morristown Police Department, Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Robert M. Reeves, Assistant U.S. Attorney, represented the United States in court proceedings.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
