The former police chief of the Chattanooga Police Department, Celeste Murphy, is facing a 17-count indictment for felony and misdemeanor criminal charges following an investigation by special agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. At the request of District Attorney General Pro Tem D. Michael Dunavant, TBI agents began investigating the residency of Celeste Murphy …
Tag: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Autopsy Shows Teenager’s Body Found Outside Monteagle Restaurant was Shot and Pregnant
On the morning of Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, a deceased female was located in the parking lot of a Monteagle, TN restaurant. Monteagle Police, Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene. The teen was found deceased by an off-duty Franklin County deputy in the restaurant’s parking lot on …
Grundy County Sheriff’s Office Releases More Information on the Man Who Died while in Custody
Grundy County Sheriff’s Office Press Release: During the early morning hours of May 29, 2024, Grundy County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a one vehicle crash on Sherrell Rd in Pelham. While deputies were responding, information was relayed that the single white male occupant later identified as Ronnie Ledbetter became combative with on scene EMS personnel, …
Former Bledsoe County Deputy Charged with Rape of Inmate
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged a former deputy of the Bledsoe County Sheriff’s Department in connection to the sexual assault of an inmate in his custody. At the request of 12th Judicial District Attorney General Courtney Lynch, agents began investigating the allegation on October 31st. During the investigation, agents …
Drug Bust Leads to Five Arrests in Monteagle
On Monday, May 6th, 2024, a search warrant was obtained for a residence on N Bluff Circle in Monteagle. During the execution of the search warrant, drug substances were seized along with a large amount of Drug Paraphernalia used for consuming Fentanyl. Three small children were residing at the residence. During the investigation, substances obtained …
Rhea County Woman Charged in 2022 Drug-Related Death of Pikeville Female
An investigation by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, along with investigators with the Pikeville Police Department and the Office of the 12th Judicial District Attorney General, has resulted in the indictment of a Rhea County woman, charged in the drug-related death of a Pikeville woman. In August 2022, …
Chattanooga Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Abuse of Children
Mark Deakins, 64, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 7 by the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr., United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga, after many years of engaging in the sexual abuse of minors. On May 11, 2023, Deakins was found guilty of criminal …
Justice Department Files Lawsuit against State of Tennessee and the TBI
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department previously notified Tennessee and the TBI that they violated the ADA by enforcing the state’s aggravated prostitution statute against people living with HIV. The department’s investigation found that the …
Suspect in Shooting Two Blount County Deputies Captured
The suspect charged with fatally shooting a Blount County deputy and injuring another was apprehended on Tuesday in Knoxville after nearly five days on the run, U.S. Marshals confirmed. A U.S. Marshals spokesperson confirmed that 42 was arrested on Tuesday. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office said he was apprehended in Knoxville. Warrants were obtained charging DeHart with first-degree murder, …
Two Indicted, Charged in 2023 Marion County Homicide
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments charging two people in connection to a 2023 homicide. On February 9, 2023, at the request of 12th Judicial District Attorney General Courtney Lynch, TBI agents joined the South Pittsburg Police Department in a vehicle fire investigation off a steep ravine in the 1300 block …


