Harold Vernon Smith, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Tennessee 2021

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Bulls Gap Man Sentenced to 235 Months for Gun Crime

A notorious offender has been brought to justice after a lengthy investigation.

Harold Vernon Smith, 41, of Bulls Gap, Tennessee, was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville, on August 23, 2021.

Smith was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of U.S.C. §92(g)(1), after a jury trial in March of 2021.

The investigation, which spanned three years, began on May 11, 2018, when the Greene County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into a Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Personal Injury.

Witnesses described the vehicle involved, and a short time later, a Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted a car matching the description in a nearby area.

After a high-speed pursuit, law enforcement located the car, which was abandoned. The investigation identified Smith as the suspect, and on May 13, 2018, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office charged him with filing a false report related to the incident.

On June 21, 2018, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Third Judicial Drug and Violent Crime Task Force arrested Smith in a wooded area on Sunrise Church Road, near Interstate 81 and Highway 11E/W, off Andrew Johnson Highway.

At the time of his arrest, Smith was armed with a loaded revolver and a bag containing his personal items and a box of ammunition.

Judge Greer determined that Smith was an Armed Career Criminal, subject to a mandatory minimum of 180 months, up to life imprisonment.

Smith was sentenced to 235 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release.

The investigation was led by ATF Special Agent Bryan Williams, and the case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws.

Assistant United States Attorneys B. Todd Martin and Emily Swecker represented the United States.