A Sumner County jury has convicted a Hendersonville man on 34 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, after investigators said they pulled child sexual abuse material from his cellphone during a 2025 search tied to an unrelated investigation. Once the verdict came in, Judge Dee David Gay revoked the defendant’s bond and set sentencing for October 2, 2026.
According to the Sumner County District Attorney’s Office, as reported by NewsChannel 5, the defendant is 24-year-old Branden Michael Tompkins of Hendersonville. Prosecutors told the station that Tompkins faces up to 136 years in prison and, under Tennessee law, is not eligible for probation, parole, or other forms of early release. Jurors found him guilty on all 34 counts after hearing evidence tied to the 2025 cellphone search.
Public records on the Sumner County Circuit Court docket list Tompkins in the criminal calendar, with hearings stretching from 2024–2025 into 2026. The entries include case numbers 83CC1-2023-CR-358 and 83CC1-2025-CR-184 and reflect arraignments and other pretrial activity. The online docket notes that the case is assigned to Sumner County Criminal Court.
What the charges mean
Under Tennessee law, sexual exploitation of a minor centers on knowing possession of material that shows a child engaged in sexual activity. Each image or file can be charged as its own count, which is how cases like this quickly stack up. The statute, outlined at Justia, generally labels the crime a Class D felony, with higher classifications possible once the number of images crosses certain thresholds. The ultimate prison time depends on how each felony class is treated and whether a judge orders sentences to run one after another or at the same time.
How local prosecutors have been handling similar cases
Tompkins’ case is landing in a county that has already been throwing the book at defendants in child-sex cases. In March, WSMV reported on another Hendersonville conviction where the defendant was staring down nearly 500 years behind bars after being found guilty of raping multiple children. Around the same time, Sumner County Source highlighted a separate child-exploitation case that ended with a 46-year sentence. Together, those outcomes point to a pattern of aggressive charging decisions and heavy sentencing recommendations in Sumner County’s child-exploitation docket.
Next steps in the case
Tompkins is set to return to court for sentencing on October 2, 2026, again before Judge Dee David Gay, and he will remain in custody until then with his bond revoked. At that hearing, the judge will weigh the applicable statutory ranges, any sentencing enhancements, and arguments from both prosecutors and the defense before deciding how many of those 34 counts will translate into actual prison time. Members of the public and any victims who want to follow developments can continue to track filings and hearing dates through the Sumner County Circuit Court docket.
