A Knoxville man with an extensive criminal history was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of a violent assault involving a firearm. Larry Lynn Ray, 50, who boasts 30 prior felony convictions, was found guilty of aggravated assault, a Class C Felony. According to WVLT, Ray was convicted for an incident that occurred in September 2023, where he assaulted a victim by hitting them with a gun.
The assault was reported to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, who responded to the call in South Knoxville. As described during the trial, Ray forcibly opened the vehicle's driver's side door and proceeded to quickly place a gun to the back of the victim's head. He then "pistol whipped" the victim with the handle of the gun, prompting the victim to immediately drive away and call for help, according to WATE.
After his arrest, Ray allegedly made attempts to undermine the legal process. "After Ray was arrested, he called family members and asked them to contact the victim to convince him not to testify," according to the WBIR article.
The sentencing came about as part of an initiative led by Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen, who established the Career Gang Unit. Allen was quoted saying, as per WATE, "I created the Career Gang Unit to aggressively prosecute cases involving defendants whose record of criminal activity is extensive and who have devoted their lives to criminal acts." The DA's office highlighted that Ray's criminal past involves a slew of charges that range across especially aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, weapons charges, theft, and drug trafficking cases spanning Knox, Union, and Sevier counties and federal court.
