A McMinnville detective spotted 22-year-old Christopher Stanton near Lonsvale Drive on Wednesday and tried to approach him over active arrest warrants — but Stanton bolted on foot, touching off a neighborhood search that ended with him hiding under a tarp at a nearby home, and a stolen handgun recovered along the way.
Detective's Approach Triggers Immediate Flight
According to a press release from Chief Nichole Mosley of the McMinnville Police Department, the detective's attempt to make contact with Stanton was prompted by outstanding warrants for his arrest. Stanton ran as soon as the detective approached, according to police. Responding officers moved quickly to box in the area, establishing a containment perimeter around Lonsvale Drive and bringing in K9 Kane to track him through the surrounding neighborhood, as reported by Warren County Way.
The search turned up more than just Stanton. Officers located a stolen 9mm handgun hidden behind a nearby house during the canine track, before finding Stanton himself hiding under a tarp at another residence close by, per the police department's account. The same report, shared on the department's Facebook page, indicates police added firearm and theft charges once the gun turned up.
Charges Stack Atop Existing Warrants
Stanton was booked into custody on a $95,000 bond, facing McMinnville charges of evading arrest, theft, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the Warren County Way report states. Those new charges stack on top of pre-existing warrants against him for failing to appear in court and violating probation, which were outstanding before Wednesday's chase began.
Tennessee law gives a sense of what Stanton is now facing. Fleeing on foot from an officer attempting a lawful arrest is classified as a Class A misdemeanor under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-16-603(a), carrying up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, according to Freeman & Fuson. The felon-in-possession charge carries steeper stakes: under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1307(b), possessing a firearm after a felony conviction is generally a Class C felony, but it is a Class B felony for specified prior convictions involving violence or a drug felony with a deadly weapon, per N. Cate Law.
Wanted for Questioning in Neighboring County
Beyond the local charges, McMinnville police explicitly noted that Stanton is wanted for questioning in connection with a recent shooting in neighboring Grundy County, Tennessee — while stressing that the McMinnville charges remain legally separate from that investigation, according to the department's statement. That shooting occurred on September 3, when the Grundy County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of gunfire along 55th Avenue in Gruetli-Laager, where a vehicle was struck three times by gunfire, as detailed by SValleyNow.
Grundy County sits just south of Warren County along the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, making the two jurisdictions close regional neighbors, per mapping data from the U.S. Geological Survey. McMinnville serves as the county seat of Warren County, and Wednesday's arrest unfolded entirely within city limits even as it draws attention from investigators across the county line.
Chief Mosley, who has led the department since January 2021, began her law enforcement career with McMinnville police back in June 1995, according to the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. WZTV reported that Stanton remains in custody as the local case moves forward, while any questions about his possible connection to the Grundy County shooting remain in the hands of investigators there.
