Defendant who Stated, “I’m Gone,” Headed Back to Prison

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained convictions against a repeat offender caught with drugs and a gun.  Brittney Tyrone Goins, 39, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Gabapentin, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Violent Felon.  Judge Hector Sanchez set the case for sentencing on September 3 where Goins is facing a minimum of seventeen years in prison.

In a three-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys TaKisha Fitzgerald and Larry Dillon explained to the jury that on March 31, 2024, Knoxville Police Department Officers Johnson and McWilliams were speaking to residents at a Glenwood Avenue home when they saw crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in plain view.  They also saw Goins hiding in a bathroom of the residence.  When Goins saw the officers, he hugged a friend and said, “I’m gone.”  After this suspicious behavior, officers learned through a records check that Goins had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.  When he was taken into custody, officers found six grams of crack cocaine on Goins.  In the bathroom where Goins was hiding, officers located a backpack containing a loaded 9mm handgun, additional cocaine, fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and the keys to Goins’ vehicle.  In Goins’ vehicle, officers located 137 gabapentin pills, more drug paraphernalia for selling drugs, and a holster for the 9mm handgun located inside. 

“This repeat offender is again headed to the Tennessee Department of Correction where he has already spent a significant portion of his adult life,” said DA Allen.

At sentencing, Goins is facing twelve to twenty years in prison on the lead drug counts plus five years consecutive to that sentence for the gun count.  Goins has five prior felony convictions dating back to 2005 for attempted robbery, drug dealing, and weapons offenses.  He is also listed as a member of the Tree Top Pirus criminal street gang.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Sheri Burkett and Legal Secretary Cathleen Wilson 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.