Beneath COVID-19, Tennessee suffered the worst year for drug deaths ever

As the coronavirus pandemic dominated government priorities and the public consciousness, Tennessee quietly recorded more than 3,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2020 – the deadliest year ever. Fatal overdoses, most of which involved fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids, rose more than 44% in 2020, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths spiked nationwide but grew more …

Drug Overdoses Killed A Record Number Of Americans In 2020, Jumping By Nearly 30%

More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year — a record number that reflects a rise of nearly 30% from 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials said the increase was driven by the lethal prevalence of fentanyl as well as pandemic-related stressors and problems in accessing care. …

Conviction reached in fentanyl death

The man responsible for providing a Tullahoma teen with the fentanyl that caused his death has pleaded guilty and received a 12-year prison sentence for his crime, law enforcement officials announced. Hunter Gremillion, 24, of Tullahoma, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault Resulting in Death in Coffee County Circuit Court before Judge Vanessa Jackson, resulting in a 12-year stint in the …

$115K worth of meth, heroin, ecstasy seized during Hawkins County traffic stop

A traffic stop by Hawkins County investigators led to the discovery of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and ecstasy. The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office says it received information Wednesday that a vehicle with Georgia registration would be delivering a large amount of illegal drugs to Timberline Drive in Rogersville. The sheriff’s office narcotics unit spotted the vehicle and pulled it over around …

Overdose survivor now works helping drug addicts

Two-time drug overdose survivor Polly Jessen, a Kingsport, Tennessee, native, now dedicates her time to helping others battling drug addiction at Frontier Health. Jessen’s addiction to opiates began after her mother died from breast cancer, she recently told the Bristol Herald Courier. She was barely 18 years old and was already abusing alcohol and marijuana. “I eventually discovered my mother’s …

Knoxville Woman Sentenced In Connection With Overdose Death

On July 1, 2021, Katrina S. Carinci, 28, of Knoxville, TN, was sentenced to 125 months imprisonment by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.  As part of the plea agreement filed with the Court, Katarina S. Carinci agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess …

19 year old fentanyl death lands drug dealer 12 years in prison

Hunter Gremillion pleaded guilty for indirectly killing another man through the sale of fentanyl.  On June 30, 19-year-old Brennan Buckner from Tullahoma died as a result of taking the drug that Gremillion had sold to him.  After pleading guilty for aggravated assault resulting in death, Gremillion was sentenced to 12-years in prison at the Tennessee Department of Corrections. According to the Buckner family’s attorney, …