In Knoxville, a man's first DUI conviction has landed him a stiffer penalty than is commonly imposed. Michael Anthony Marcum, age 54, was sentenced to serve a sixty-day jail sentence, DA Charme Allen announced. Convicted for Driving Under the Influence as well as Driving on a Suspended License, the sentence was handed out by Senior Judge Kelly Thomas.
During a two-day trial that unfolded in August, Assistant District Attorneys Caleb Smothers and Franklin Ammons laid out the case to the jury. After making an illegal U-turn and swerving out of his lane on Cedar Bluff Road early on August 2, 2022, Officer Denife Jones of the Knox County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on Marcum's vehicle. With alcohol on his breath and an admission of having consumed beers, Marcum struggled to maintain balance and failed field sobriety tests. Marcum, who had initially claimed he drank only two beers, eventually revised the number to three. Refusing a blood alcohol test upon being apprised of the Tennessee implied consent law, Marcum was subsequently put behind bars. according to the Knox County DA's office.
"We enforce DUI laws to try to prevent the dangerous and often fatal wrecks caused by impaired driving," said DA Allen. While the mandatory minimum sentence for a first DUI offense is just forty-eight hours, the prosecution sought a heftier sentence in light of Marcum's checkered past, which includes two prior felony convictions for Fraud and Extortion and a history of refusing alcohol tests in South Carolina, as detailed by the Knox County District Attorney's Office.
Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Brittany Wilhelmson also played a role in the prosecution, aiding in a case that marks a noteworthy approach to DUI enforcement.
