Johnson City Career Criminal Caught in Knoxville

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained multiple convictions against a career offender from Johnson City caught after coming to Knoxville to resupply.  William Jacob Henry, 34, pled guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession with Intent to Sell Fentanyl, Possession with Intent to Sell Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.  Under the terms of the plea agreement, Judge Hector Sanchez sentenced Henry to twenty-four years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Correction.

In a plea colloquy today, Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald explained to the Court that on April 11, 2023, Knoxville Police Department Officer Sara Rodriguez responded to a call about impaired individuals in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Kroger on Chapman Highway.  At the scene, officers located a vehicle occupied by Henry and a co-defendant.  Officers could see that both occupants were passed out, and various items of drug paraphernalia were visible.  When Henry and the co-defendant were removed from the car, officers found approximately fifty-nine grams of methamphetamine, fifty-four grams of fentanyl, and a handgun.  Henry told officers that he was not a “big dealer” and that he did not have customers in Knoxville.  Analysis of Henry’s cell phone revealed that he sold drugs to multiple customers in Johnson City and was in Knoxville to meet with his source of supply.  Henry’s phone also contained multiple photographs of him holding the firearm recovered and multiple photos of drugs on digital scales.

“Thanks to a call from a concerned citizen and quick work by the responding officers, we were able to remove these deadly substances and a firearm from our streets,” said DA Allen.

Henry has ten prior felony convictions out of Washington County for Aggravated Assault, Theft, and Vehicle Burglary.  To understand the amount of drugs seized, Fentanyl is often sold and consumed in “points” or 0.1 gram increments, making the amount of fentanyl seized in this case equivalent to 540 uses.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator 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.