East Side Blood Gang Member Convicted of Cocaine Charge

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Felony Drug Unit obtained convictions against an East Side Blood gang member with six prior felony convictions. Following a two-day trial, James Greenlee Davis, Jr., 41, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Cocaine in a Drug Free Zone and Criminal Trespass. Judge Scott Green set the case for sentencing on March 4.

At trial, Assistant District Attorneys Hector Sanchez and Sean McDermott explained to the jury that on July 29, 2013, Knoxville Police Department Sergeant James Lockmiller and Officer Eric P’Simer were conducting a foot patrol in the Walter P. Taylor Homes. Around 2:30 in the morning, they observed Davis engaged in what they believed to be a hand-to-hand transaction. As they approached Davis, he tried to evade officers but slipped in the grass. When Davis was taken into custody, officers recovered a bag containing 5.1 grams of cocaine. Sergeant Tom Walker of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Gang Intelligence Unit testified as an expert in gang identification and identified Davis as a member of the East Side Bloods. Davis was first confirmed as a gang member in 1994.

“A prosecutor’s number one job is to protect the community,” said DA Charme Allen.”This defendant has been a gang member committing violent crimes and drug crimes in our community for over twenty years. While he has been in and out of prison for most of his adult life, the conviction in this case will make sure that he can no longer endanger this city.”

At the sentencing hearing, Davis is facing between forty and sixty years in prison at one hundred percent. Davis has three prior felony convictions for dealing cocaine, two prior convictions for Aggravated Assault, and one prior felony conviction for Aggravated Gambling Promotion. Prosecutors will ask for an enhanced sentence based on these prior convictions and the fact that Davis was on parole at the time of this offense.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.