Operation “Crime Driver” Targets Violent Criminals in Tipton County
Memphis, TN – U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant and 25th Judicial District Attorney General Mark Davidson announced today that the first phase of a joint federal, state and local law enforcement anti-violence initiative has resulted in the federal indictments of six individuals from Tipton County, TN. The agencies participating in the initiative include the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, the District Attorney General’s Office for the 25th Judicial District, the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Department of Correction, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to information presented in court, between February and May 2019, law enforcement targeted offenders wanted on arrest warrants for violent criminal offenses in Tipton County, Tennessee. Officials from the participating agencies announced the results of Operation "Crime Driver" at a press conference on May 3, 2019, in Covington, Tennessee.
On February 20, 2019, Danny Muex, Jr., 31, of Atoka, Tennessee, led Tipton County Sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed pursuit, wrecking his vehicle. As deputies apprehended him, he threw a handgun from the vehicle. At the time, he was on probation in the state of Florida as a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Muex Jr., has been charged in federal court in Memphis with being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 120 months in federal prison.
On March 3, 2019, Atoka officers encountered Ramell Jackson, 23, of Millington, Tennessee, during a traffic stop and found him in possession of a handgun. At the time, he was under indictment for delivering drugs, and was an admitted drug user. In addition, Jackson was found in possession of ammunition on May 3, 2019, after being convicted of a drug felony. He is currently in state custody awaiting to be arraigned on federal charges. He is charged in federal court in Memphis with possession of a firearm while under felony indictment, possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, and being a felon in possession of ammunition. If convicted, Jackson faces up to 120 months in federal prison.
On April 3, 2019, Marcus Green, 38, of Covington, Tennessee, a former Shelby County Sheriff’s Corrections Deputy, who was on federal supervised release for a prior federal drug conviction, was found in possession of 1 ½ pounds of marijuana. The U.S. Probation Office filed a petition to revoke Green’s supervised release based upon the marijuana he possessed, and the federal grand jury in Memphis indicted him for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Green pled guilty to both the supervised release violation and the substantive charge of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute. Green was sentenced to a year and a day in custody for violating his supervised release, and he faces a sentence of up to five years imprisonment on the substantive marijuana charge to which he pleaded guilty. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/former-shelby-county-sheriff-s-cor… On May 3, 2019, law enforcement performed a parole check at the residence of Maurice Nash, 46, of Atoka, Tennessee and found a stolen handgun, $11,579 in cash, 90 pills of ecstasy, a small marijuana grow operation, and Gangster Disciples gang literature. A search of his vehicle produced approximately three pounds of marijuana and a SKS 7.62 assault rifle. Nash has been charged in federal court in Memphis with possession of MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. If convicted and found to be an Armed Career Criminal, Nash faces a possible sentence of 360 months and up to life in federal prison.
Later that same day, Tipton County Sheriff deputies encountered Isca Johnson, 23, of Covington, Tennessee, and smelled marijuana emanating from his apartment. He gave consent to search, and deputies found marijuana, alprazolam, a loaded handgun, and ammunition. He admitted to owning the items and to being an illicit drug user. Johnson has been charged in federal court in Memphis with possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. If convicted, Johnson faces up to 120 months in federal prison.
Jodeci Young, 23, of Covington, Tennessee, has been charged in federal court in Memphis with possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance on May 3, 2019. If convicted, Young faces up to 120 months in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "We are pleased to join with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to focus on the priority areas of firearms and narcotics cases that impact public safety in our rural communities, and we are glad to support this successful joint operation by adopting these cases for aggressive federal prosecution. We are tired of the trigger-pullers and traffickers that terrorize Tipton County, and we will continue our laser focus on the real drivers of violent crime: guns, gangs, and drugs."
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office investigated these cases.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Hord and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal Oldham are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
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