Russell Johnson - 9th Judicial District, District Attorney General

06/05/2026

Former City of Kingston Finance Director Pleads Guilty to ‘Overpaying’ Herself During Tenure as Director per Comptroller Investigative Audit

The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury received a report of potential fraud on June 13, 2023, concerning the former Finance Director Carolyn Brewer (age 81 of Kingston). The almost three-year long investigative audit revealed overpayments of salary and benefits (unaccounted for overpayments of weekly salary, over-calculation of sick leave reimbursements, etc.) that also resulted in over-credit of retirement benefits from Finance Director Brewer’s retirement covering a period of time from her retirement in June 2020 back to July 1, 2014, which is as far back as auditors went with their review due to time and workforce constraints. Because of the labor-intensive review of the process of scrutinizing each individual weekly payroll and performing recalculations, the auditors had to choose 2014 as a point at which to stop, even though Brewer served in the Finance Director position for decades.

From the date of retirement until the end date of the audit in 2014 the Comptroller’s Office determined that Brewer had paid herself over $131,000 in unearned salary and benefits. The report was finally approved and made available to Russell Johnson’s District Attorney General’s Office several weeks ago. Upon receipt of the investigative audit report, District Attorney Johnson and ADA Jonathan Edwards, who was assigned the case, reached out to Brewer’s legal counsel and met with Brewer, her husband, legal counsel and private investigators for the defense, along with the two auditors from the Comptroller, and Kingston City Attorney Andrew Thompson to review the audit results and to explore the probability of a successful prosecution on the alleged theft.

As a result of that meeting a felony plea agreement was reached and Carolyn Brewer appeared in Wartburg today (Friday, June 5th) where Criminal Court was meeting with Judge Jeff Wicks presiding, to enter a guilty plea to Class C felony theft with a three-year TDOC felony sentence. She paid $131,596.22 in restitution to the City of Kingston, court costs and fines. Due to her advanced age, Brewer will serve the three-year felony sentence on probation.

ADA Jonathan Edwards handled the review of this case, and the resolution was worked out by District Attorney Johnson and ADA Edwards. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation assisted the Comptroller auditors (Jimmy Hodges and Brett Bell) with the interview of Brewer. Hodges and Bell prepared the report that the Comptroller’s Office will be releasing to the public since the guilty plea has been entered. Kingston City Attorney Thompson will be reviewing the report with Kingston City officials on Tuesday.

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06/03/2026

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Officer Bobby Lankford.

This morning, our community lost a great man. Recently retired Loudon Police Department Officer Bobby Lankford passed away and went home to be with the Lord.

Bobby faithfully served the citizens of Loudon for 27 years before retiring in 2024. Throughout his career, he demonstrated unwavering dedication, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to the community he loved.

Funeral arrangements are pending, and we will share those details as soon as they become available.

Please keep Bobby's family, friends, and former colleagues in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. His service and legacy will not be forgotten.

05/29/2026

Former Preacher Pleads Guilty to Stealing Money from his Church in Lenoir City

The case against former Canvas Church of Lenoir City pastor Nicholas Rains started with members of the congregation becoming aware of his immoral behavior and misuse of funds which resulting in the leadership asking Rains to step down as pastor. Church leaders conducted their own ‘audit’. Their efforts revealed the extent of the fraud/theft of funds, and the church leadership notified our office in April of 2023. In turn we requested the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office to perform an investigative audit for purposes of prosecuting criminal charges.

Their audit determined the Rains had been using the church credit card, as well as church funds for personal purchases such as shopping for groceries and numerous other person purchases and expenses. The Comptroller’s audit was recently released to our office, and we presented the case against Rains for theft of over $250,000 which was indicted by a Loudon County Grand Jury. The theft included paying for family vacations, along with a trip to Alaska, as well as making his house payments and expenditures for female companionship, even though Raines is married with a family, and not to mention being the spiritual leader of his congregation. The investigation was extensive and time consuming and involved using various church personnel to help make determinations as to what numerous purchases went to church use versus Rains’ personal use.

From a ‘victim impact and input standpoint’ the membership of the Canvas Church has been divided on how to proceed with the ‘theft’ allegations against their preacher. Rains is no longer in charge of the Canvas Church, but he has apparently moved to another church in Roane County and can be seen participating in various roles on YouTube videos from that church. A significant number of Canvas Church members were for forgiving Rains of his crimes (several of whom are related to Rains), but then there were obviously many that expressed indignation at Rains’ conduct and are wanting prosecution and punishment.

After the Comptroller’s auditors recently completed the investigation, we met with several church leaders and decided to offer Nicholas Rains to plead guilty to the Theft Over $250,000, a Class B felony. The plea hearing on this agreement took place in the Loudon County Courthouse today (Friday, May 29th) in front of many members of the Canvas Church (which has been rebranded as Vineyard Church of Lenoir City).

The felony conviction plea agreement was for a sentence of eight years with Rains immediately going into custody (on Sunday) to serve 120 days (day for day) in the Loudon County jail and the remainer of the eight years on supervised probation with Rains to pay the church $100,000 in agreed upon restitution, plus court costs and fines. The church has placed a lien on Rains’ house as part of the plea agreement, which will draw interest and must be paid whenever Rains sells his house that is currently up for sale, or within a year, whichever occurs first.

This is obviously a compromised plea agreement due in part to the divided opinion of the church who all want to move forward and forgo a jury trial that would have required going line by line through each purchase as many of the purchases include both church and personal uses, and as is the nature of many small churches, a lack of proper accounting controls that should always be in place to prevent and detect fraud, as there is usually a large amount of trust involved when the preacher is allowed to have control of the church funds.

ADA Bob Edwards of District Attorney General Russell Johnson’s Office worked closely with church members and the Comptroller’s Office on this audit, investigation and prosecution, and both Edwards and Johnson worked with Defense Attorney Brian Nichols to fashion the plea deal to eventually get reimbursement of a large amount of the funds back to the church, but also to provide punishment in the form of four months in jail for this egregious conduct. The purpose of this extended explanation is to bring light to the conduct of Rains who was trusted by his family and his church family, and to serve as a cautionary tale to similar churches and organizations that trust can only go so far – therefore, “trust but verify” [Ronald Reagan].

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05/23/2026

Loudon County Grand Jury Indicts Two Cases Involving Fatal Crashes - (Be safer than these cases on the Interstate this Memorial Day Weekend)

The section of I-40 through Roane County between Rockwood Mountain and into Loudon County approaching the junction of I-40 with I-75 has seen more than its fair share of serious and often fatal crashes, especially since the post-Covid influx of the tens of thousands of new residents moving to our area of East Tennessee from other states. These major interstates sections leading into their junction with one another and their split from each other require extra special caution because many drivers are excessively speeding and being inattentive, or who are just being overly aggressive.

Two such cases were indicted by the Loudon County Grand Jury back on May 11th.

Ashley Rae Jones (age 32) of Cumberland County was indicted by the grand jury for the criminally negligent homicide of a 17-year-old male from Lenoir City, along with other traffic violations. The wreck occurred eastbound on I-40 a short distance after passing over Hwy 95 at the Lenoir City/Melton Hill exit. There was road maintenance ongoing on the right shoulder of the interstate which had caused traffic to come to a complete stop. It is alleged that Jones, due to Jones’ inattention when she reached down to retrieve a v**e pen and, while doing so, failed to brake her vehicle before slamming her Mercedes SUV into the back of a Geo Tracker driven by the juvenile who was the sole occupant of his vehicle. The impact of the rear-end collision pushed his vehicle into the rear of the trailer of a commercial motor vehicle, killing the juvenile almost instantly. Jones was unhurt.

Near this same location Ethan Collins was headed westbound on I-40 away from the ‘split’ of I-40 with I-75 right before the Lenoir City/Melton Hill exit. It is alleged that Ethan Collins, while driving his pickup truck at a high rate of speed and in a reckless manner, drove into the right rear of another pickup truck, causing the impacted truck to careen across the median between the westbound and eastbound lanes to strike an eastbound vehicle killing the driver and passenger, Kimberly Morquecho (age 36) and Guadalupe Rodriguez (age 35) from McAllen, Texas. Several of their pets were killed as well. Collins was charged with reckless vehicular homicide and other traffic violations. Collins was also unhurt, but the driver of the other pickup truck, Darrell Eggers (age 73) from Maryville that was hit from behind was airlifted from the scene with serious injuries.

Both crashes described above were captured on video from cameras. The Jones crash was captured on dash camera from a tractor-trailer that Jones’ Mercedes overtook on the right and as the truck slowed down for the stopped traffic the video shows the entire crash between the Mercedes and Geo Tracker. The Collins crash was captured on a TDOT camera placed along the interstate. Having video of both crashes greatly assisted the THP CIRT and our office in determining how both crashes occurred, as well as being able to demonstrate the driver conduct to the grand jury to obtain the indictments.

Both defendants have already made their $100,000 bonds imposed by the Court. Both the US and Tennessee constitutions require bond in all but some murder cases. Under Tennessee law, if a defendant uses a bonding agent, they can pay as little as 5%, plus the bond fee and bond tax. On a $100,000 bond the cost to the defendant and his/her surety is $5,000 and change. Both cases are set for arraignment on Friday, May 29th in Loudon County.

These situations, hopefully, will serve as an extra caution for folks travelling the interstates and highways this busy Memorial Day Weekend. Please slow down, stay off the handheld devices, avoid drinking and driving, and be patient and kind to each other. Tennessee ranked 11th in a recent survey for aggressive driving and road rage. Plus, Todd Howell keeps telling us it is going to be raining with wet roads all weekend. Turn around, don’t drown…. And let's lower that road rage ranking!

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05/19/2026

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deputy Doyle Fugate’s family and friends!

In Honor of Deputy Doyle Fugate

Deputy Doyle Fugate’s patrol car has been placed in front of the Sheriff’s Office as a tribute to a man who meant so much to our department and community.

For anyone in the community who would like to stop by, pay their respects, or simply take a moment to honor Doyle’s memory, you are welcome to do so. Whether through a prayer, a memory, or just a quiet moment, we know it would mean so much to recognize the impact he had on so many lives.

Doyle was more than an deputy — he was a friend, a smiling face, and a true pillar of this community. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

816 Doyle Fugate — End of Watch, but never forgotten.

05/17/2026

NICHOLAS HOLLOWAY SENTENCED IN THE DEATH OF ROBERT QUENTON MCCULLOUGH

District Attorney General Russell Johnson announced that Judge Jeff Wicks accepted the guilty plea of Nicholas Holloway on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in the beating death of Robert Quenton McCullough.

Robert Quenton McCullough was last seen on October 7, 2020, and was reported missing by his mother on October 17, 2020. After a lengthy missing person investigation, Robert Quenton McCullough’s body was discovered in an abandoned trailer in Oakdale, Tennessee (Morgan County) on December 2, 2020, by the Roane County Sheriff’s Office after a tip led investigators to the trailer.

The trio of Joshua Aikens, Shane Parks, and Nicholas Holloway were charged in connection with the murder of Robert Quenton McCullough. Joshua Aikens previously pled guilty to First Degree Murder and received a life sentence. Shane Parks also pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and Especially Aggravated Kidnapping and received a forty-five (45) year sentence.

Nicholas Holloway pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and Especially Aggravated Kidnapping. Holloway was sentenced to a total effective sentence of twenty-five (25) years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. This concludes the prosecution of all the co-defendants.

The case was investigated by the Roane County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Rockwood Police Department and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. The multi-agency cooperation, along with the assistance of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center and the Forensic Anthropology Team, led to the successful prosecution of this case.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Bob Edwards and Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Edwards. They were assisted by Victim Witness Coordinator Tami Bailey.

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05/14/2026

Loudon County Grand Jury Indicts Loudon County Jail Inmate for Attempted Murder of Nurse

The Loudon County Grand Jury met on Monday, May 11th and heard cases presented by District Attorney General Russell Johnson’s Office and included among those cases was one for Attempted First Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault and Especially Aggravated Kidnapping for an April 24th incident at the jail involving an inmate in the Loudon County Jail, Daniel Stinnett. Inmate Stinnett entered the nurse’s office unexpectedly closing the door which automatically locked, then pushing the medication cart over - which had the keys to the door on top of it. The desk was then pushed up against the door as Stinnett allegedly took the jail’s female nurse ‘hostage’ and eventually began strangling her around the neck with the elastic waistband that he had apparently removed from a pair of boxers. [This was previously reported in a LCSO Facebook post].

The incident went on for some time as corrections officers assembled in the hallway and other on-duty law enforcement officers responded, including Loudon PD, Lenoir City PD, and other Sheriff’s deputies. After an extended period, due to the locked and barricaded door where Stinnet kept pushing the large desk to prevent a breach of the room by, Stinnett was overpowered by officers and immobilized while the nurse was taken to the ER for evaluation and treatment.

Stinnett was in jail awaiting an upcoming jury trial scheduled in September wherein he is charged with the stabbing death of his live-in girlfriend in 2024.

District Attorney General Johnson and Assistant District Attorney Jed Bassett spoke with the nurse on Wednesday and she explained that she has returned to work in the Loudon County Jail (her services are contracted through an outside agency) as she wanted to try and immerse herself in her work as a nurse caring for the inmates and to try and move beyond both the physical and mental trauma that she endured during the incident. In speaking with her she praised the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and Jail Captain Dusty Langley for the care that he shows for all the Corrections Officers and staff, as well as the inmates under his watch, and especially the concern that he has shown for her. She was also grateful for the response and efforts of the officers to bring this situation to an end without further injury to herself or the officers.

Stinnett is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, May 26th in Loudon County Criminal Court.

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05/07/2026

05/05/2026

Former LCUB Foreman Scott Burnette Pleads Guilty to 12-year Sentence on S*x Charges

Former LCUB lineman foreman pled guilty to two counts of Aggravated S*xual Battery in Loudon County Criminal Court today and received a sentence of twelve (12) years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. As previously agreed, as part of the plea agreement, Burnette went into custody immediately after the guilty plea and was taken to the Loudon County Jail. A jury trial on this case had been set for tomorrow (Wednesday) on the charges that were indicted by the grand jury on December 8, 2025. The elements of the two charges to which Burnette pled guilty were that Burnette "did intentionally, knowingly and unlawfully accomplish s*xual contact with [the victim]" who was underage and a family member on two separate occasions.

The victim, her mother, and a large contingent of family members were in court for the hearing. The victim addressed the court to and delivered an impactful victim impact statement directly to the defendant. The plea agreement avoided the victim having to testify and relive before a jury the abuse she endured from the defendant.

As sentenced, Scott Burnette will now serve the twelve years, be immediately placed on the S*x Offender Registry for life and under community supervision for life. He also shall undergo a psycho-s*xual analysis and undergo s*x offender treatment while in TDOC. There will be no contact with the victim.

Jason Smith of Lenoir City Police Department and Kevin Kirkland of the Loudon County Sheriff's Office both investigated this case.

Assistant District Attorney Jed Bassett and Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Edwards prosecuted the case for District Attorney General Russell Johnson's Office and Lori Beaty was the victim witness coordinator.

Loudon County Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks was the presiding judge over the case and plea hearing.

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05/01/2026

This case originated through our office with our ICAC Agent Cortney Dugger

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