Career Criminal Convicted of Stealing Motorcycle

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained a conviction against a man who stole a motorcycle during a test drive.  Rusty Lynn Patterson, 40, was convicted of Theft.  Because Patterson has thirty-two prior convictions from surrounding counties, he is facing the maximum sentence allowed under Tennessee law for this offense, twelve years in prison.

In a one-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys TaKisha Fitzgerald and Teddy Ryan explained to the jury that on October 8, 2021, Patterson contacted the victim through Facebook Marketplace and asked to test drive a motorcycle the victim was selling.  Patterson and the victim met at the Home Depot on Schaad Road.  The victim allowed Patterson to test drive the motorcycle, but Patterson left the parking lot and never returned.  Ultimately, Patterson crashed the motorcycle in Anderson County.  When a witness called 911 to report the crash, Patterson fled on foot and was apprehended a week later.

“My Office will continue to seek the maximum sentence for career offenders like this defendant,” said DA Allen.

Patterson has thirty-two prior convictions out of Anderson, Roane, and Morgan Counties for Robbery, Burglary, and other property offenses.  He is also identified as a member of the Prison Motorcycle Brotherhood gang.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinators Madison McCroskey and Sheri Burkett aided in the prosecution of this case.

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.