Convicted Felon Receives Twenty-Year Sentence

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained convictions against a convicted felon who stole a car then resisted arrest with a loaded handgun in his waistband.  Lewis Sonny Thompson, 37, pled guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Resisting Arrest, Burglary of a Vehicle, two counts of Theft, and two counts of Simple Possession.  Under the terms of the plea agreement, Thompson will serve twenty years in the Tennessee Department of Correction without the possibility of parole.

In a plea colloquy in front of Judge Steve Sword, Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald explained to the Court that on November 15, 2020, Thompson entered a parking garage on Depot Street and started trying to open car doors until he found an unlocked Ford Explorer.  In that vehicle, he found keys to a Lexus also in the parking garage which he then stole.  In a separate incident the next year, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a single-vehicle wreck where Thompson was the driver.  When officers ran a records check of Thompson, they saw that he had outstanding warrants for the previous theft.  When they attempted to take Thompson into custody on those warrants, Thompson began to resist arrest.  Once officers handcuffed Thompson, they discovered a loaded Glock handgun in his waistband.

“Violent convicted felons who carry guns can expect to receive lengthy prison sentences,” said DA Allen.

Thompson has six prior felony convictions out of Knox and Hamilton Counties for robbery, drug dealing, theft, and evading arrest offenses.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Madison McCroskey 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.