A Loudon County grand jury has indicted Daniel Aaron Stinnett on an attempted first-degree murder charge after prosecutors say he took a nurse hostage inside the Loudon County Detention Facility on April 24. Stinnett, who is already jailed in connection with a 2024 homicide case, is scheduled to be arraigned in Loudon County Criminal Court on May 26, 2026.
According to WATE 6 On Your Side, the grand jury returned the indictment after prosecutors with the Ninth District attorney's office presented the new charges. The station reports that Stinnett was already awaiting a jury trial in September 2026 in the earlier homicide case.
How the standoff unfolded
Law enforcement officials say the April 24 incident started when Stinnett shut himself and a jail nurse inside an examination room and then assaulted her, prompting a multi-agency law enforcement response that brought in SWAT, Loudon police, and Lenoir City officers. Corrections staff and other deputies ultimately forced their way into the room and overpowered Stinnett. The nurse was taken to a hospital, treated, and released, according to WVLT.
Charges and the victim's response
Prosecutors told WATE that the nurse was strangled with an elastic waistband during the attack. They say that the allegation led to the attempted first-degree murder indictment, along with additional counts of aggravated assault and especially aggravated kidnapping. The district attorney's office said the nurse has since returned to work and publicly praised the Loudon County Sheriff's Office and jail leadership for how they handled the standoff.
What happens next
Stinnett was arrested in 2024 after a woman was found fatally stabbed at a Lenoir City apartment complex and has been held in county custody since, according to local reporting. Next week's arraignment will be his first formal court appearance on the newly returned indictment, and the case will then move into the pretrial phase. An indictment is a formal accusation, and Stinnett remains presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty at trial.
