Knoxville District Attorney General Charme Allen has confirmed the sentencing of Keith Antwan Turner, a 33-year-old repeat offender, to twenty-four years in prison for cocaine possession with intent to sell. This announcement was made via a social media post, where it was detailed that Turner was apprehended with 14 grams of cocaine and a smaller quantity of marijuana, as well as $692 in cash, during a police response to suspected drug use in a vehicle on October 9, 2023, as reported by Charme Allen, District Attorney General - Knoxville, TN. Turner is known to have six prior felony convictions and was already on probation for a similar offense at the time of his arrest.
During the two-day trial in January, Assistant District Attorneys TaKisha Fitzgerald and Molly Martin prosecuted the case, illustrating to the jury Turner's repeated disregard for the law. According to the District Attorney General's Facebook page, Turner has been identified as a member of the Crips gang, adding to the gravity of his conviction. The case was further strengthened by a $75,000 fine levied by the jury against Turner.
"Aggressively prosecuting repeat drug dealers has contributed to the decline in overdose deaths in our community," DA Allen stated in the social media post. This operative strategy reflects a broader effort by the Knoxville authorities to tackle the city's drug-related issues through legal persecution of habitual offenders. The legal team, including Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Sheri Burkett and Legal Secretary Cathleen Wilson, was credited for their contribution to the prosecution's success.
