Career Offender Sentenced to Forty-Five Years

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained multiple convictions against a career criminal caught with fentanyl and guns.  Travei Dietz Pryor, 33, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell Fentanyl and Cocaine, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.  Senior Judge D. Kelly Thomas sentenced Pryor to serve forty-five years in the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial in July, Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald and  Molly Martin explained to the jury that on October 12, 2022, officers with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at 5201 Western Avenue based on drug activity at the residence.  During the search, officers found Pryor in the master bedroom of the apartment.  Detectives also located over an ounce and a half of fentanyl packaged for resale, digital scales, unused bags, a blender covered in powder residue used for cutting drugs, and approximately $8,000 cash.  In the master bedroom, two loaded firearms were located: a Springfield 9mm handgun and a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun with an extended magazine.

“After getting out of prison, this offender chose to continue his criminal activity,” said DA Allen.  “Because of that decision, he is headed back to TDOC.”

Pryor is a Career Offender with seventeen prior felony convictions for Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, and weapon offenses.  Pryor has also been identified as a member of the Rollin 60s Crips 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.