Home Knoxville Press Releases 2010 Darrell L. Tipton Sentenced to 293 Months in Federal Prison for Firearms Conviction
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Darrell L. Tipton Sentenced to 293 Months in Federal Prison for Firearms Conviction
Tipton was Target of Extensive Manhunt in 2005

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 13, 2010
  • Eastern District of Tennessee (865) 545-4167

GREENEVILLE, TN—Darrell Lynn Tipton, 53, of Erwin, Tenn., was sentenced today by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Court Judge, Greeneville, to 293 months in federal prison. Today’s sentence was the result of Tipton’s trial conviction on April 7, 2010, to being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Tipton was observed carrying a rifle from his mother’s home to a vehicle as he fled from officers. Tipton and a relative were apprehended after a short chase. Officers located a .22 caliber pistol and a .22 caliber rifle in the vehicle, along with .22 caliber ammunition in Tipton’s pocket and in a duffel bag.

Tipton’s federal sentence is to be served consecutive to a life sentence received in the Greene County Circuit Court in Fulton, Mo., for first degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon, the conviction of which resulted from the brutal assault of a victim with an iron skillet and the stabbing of that same victim.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Tipton included the Unicoi CountySheriff’s Department, Erwin Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Gregory Bowman and Robert M. Reeves represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.

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