Criminal Defense For Cases Ranging From Murder To Misdemeanor
Keeton Law Firm, PLLC has represented individuals accused of a wide variety of crimes in Tennessee. Below are real cases and the real results handled by Attorney C. Brent Keeton. To learn more about your options in your unique case, contact us online today or call 931-400-2548.
Aggravated Assault
The facts: The client is the mother of 2 small children. Her husband had tormented her for years with domestic abuse. The husband went into a fit of rage in the middle of the night. The client grabbed a knife as a last resort and called 911. When police arrived, they thought the client was the first aggressor and had a knife and arrested her in the presence of her young children.
The result: The police got it wrong. This was established by Keeton Law Firm. The victim of domestic violence because the accused. She was able to remain with her children so her abusive husband did not get custody. The charges were dismissed.
Aggravated Child Abuse
The facts: The father of 2 minor children was accused of injuring the children. He was accused of causing extensive bruising and potentially causing a skull fracture. He was charged with 2 counts of aggravated child abuse and was subject to a $500,000 bond.
The result: After an extensive hearing, the charges against the client were dismissed. The injuries to the children were accidental and were not permanent. No crime had occurred. The client was facing 50 years in prison, as there were 2 charges with each carrying a potential sentence of 25 years. The charges were dismissed. The client was released and had a steak dinner at his home with his family that night.
Bonnaroo
The facts: The client was accused of mailing several ounces of marijuana to himself to sell or distribute at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The client was facing potential prison time for this offense
The result: Keeton Law Firm was able to negotiate a drug contribution and the charges were dismissed.
The facts: The client was at the Bonnaroo Music Festival and sold a schedule 1 drug (MDMA) to a undercover police officer. He was facing 8 to 12 years in prison
The result: Keeton Law Firm was able to negotiate a 4 year sentence on supervised probation for the client. This also was also subject to judicial diversion. This means that if the client is able to stay out of trouble and meet all probation requirements, he will be able to get the charges expunged (erased) from his record like it never happened.
Domestic Violence
The facts: Client was charged with domestic violence based on a misunderstanding between husband and wife. No one was hurt in the disagreement. The charges (because of the bond conditions) prevented the client from going home with his wife. He had no where else to go.
The result: Keeton Law Firm was able to negotiate a dismissal of the charges. It was a misunderstanding between the married couple. Client and his spouse and doing well.
Drug charges
The facts: The client was charged with 2 felony methamphetamine charges. Both charges could have sent the client to prison for 8 to 12 years. The client had a significant methamphetamine addiction.
The result: Rather than going to prison. Keeton Law Firm was able to negotiate a guilty plea to 1 misdemeanor and the client completed rehab out of state. The client continues to work and remain sober through am aftercare program.
Possession of a Weapon By a Felon
The facts: Client was driving on the interstate in Coffee County and was stopped by police because of a traffic violation. The police located a handgun in the vehicle and ran a background check of the client. A check stated that he was a felon and the client was accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A conviction could have sent the client to prison.
The result: Keeton Law Firm was able to demonstrate to the prosecution that the client was not a felon after extensive research of his past record. Law enforcement was wrong and the charges were dismissed.
Rape
The facts: An 81 year old man was falsely accused of rape in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He befriended a woman and allowed her to stay at his house for the night for shelter. Nothing less. Nothing more. She was drunk. She was so drunk that she took her clothes off and yelled outside in an apartment complex that she was raped. She was highly intoxicated. The client was charged with rape after law enforcement arrived.
The result: Keeton Law Firm was able to demonstrate to the prosecution that a great error had been made by law enforcement. There was no rape. The charges were dismissed. The 81 year old client was released and went to live with family rather than go back to the same apartment complex.
The case: The client was indicted on the crime of rape by the Coffee County grand jury. The issue was whether or not the alleged victim consented to sex or if it was rape. The offer from the prosecution before trial was to plead guilty to rape and serve eight (8) years in prison. The client refused to plead guilty and accept the offer based on his position that this was consensual sex and not rape.
The results: After a two (2) day jury trial, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on all counts. The client was set free and the indictment of rape was dismissed.
First Degree Murder
The case: The elderly client was charged with first degree murder for killing her husband with a pistol with the assistance of her son. The victim was shot several times and died as a result of his injuries. Law enforcement failed to secure any gunshot residue on the elderly client.
The results: Rather than life in prison, a plea agreement was negotiated with the government for a ten (10) year parole-eligible sentence allowing the client the opportunity to have a life after being released from prison. She has since been released from prison.
Second Degree Murder
The case: The client was sixteen (16) years old and was involved in a fight with his sister’s boyfriend. The sister’s boyfriend was stabbed by a pocket knife in the heart and died at the scene. An issue of self-defense existed. After a transfer hearing, the client was transferred to adult court to be tried as an adult on charges of second degree murder. The charge could have placed him into prison for twenty-five (25) years.
The results: The case settled with a dismissal of the second degree murder charge. The client pled to the lesser charge of aggravated assault resulting in death. He received a ten (10) year sentence and was released from juvenile detention after serving two (2) years. He is now on supervised probation and living with his family.
Aggravated Vehicular Homicide
The case: The client was alleged to be a drunk driver that ran through a traffic light and killed two individuals.
The results: No offers were made by the government in this matter. A five (5) day jury trial was held. The client was sentenced to approximately one half of the sentence that was requested by the government.
Especially Aggravated Kidnapping
The case: The client was facing sixty (60) years in prison for an alleged break in at a residence and victims allegedly held at gunpoint. The client denied the allegations. Aside from the alleged statements of the victims implementing the client, there was no physical evidence as it was shown that law enforcement failed to process the residence and simply took the word of the victims at face value.
The results: The case was tried before a jury for three (3) days. The jury could not come to a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared by the circuit judge. The government offered a plea bargain of three (3) years to the client and was accepted. The client was facing sixty (60) years in prison if he faced another jury trial. The client accepted the parole eligible offer of three (3) years.
Aggravated Child Abuse
The case: The client mother was charged with aggravated child abuse involving a fractured arm of her child. The client was facing twenty-five (25) years if convicted of the charge. Various counseling records of the child revealed inconsistent statements as to how the incident occurred.
The results: The aggravated child abuse indicted charge was dismissed. The client pled guilty to a lesser charge and received one (1) year of supervised probation and had her record expunged when she completed her probation. She was also able to regain custody of her child involved in the incident through the Department of Children’s Services.
Aggravated Assault
The case: The client stabbed someone that entered her hotel room. The client stated that she acted in self-defense by stabbing the person that entered her room. The alleged victim contended that he was stabbed with a knife without provocation. The client was charged with aggravated assault charge that could have placed her in prison for six (6) years.
The results: The case was dismissed by the district attorney without a trial. Self-defense was sufficiently established.
The case: The client was asleep in his Tullahoma apartment and was awoken by some loud knocks at his door. Inside of the apartment was his mother, his grandmother, his infant child, and his teenage niece. The person knocking at the door wanted $20 that the client owed him. The client went out the back door of his apartment to confront the person and told his family to stay inside the residence. A fight between these individuals ensued and the client stabbed the other person with a knife. The client was charged with aggravated assault charge that could have placed him in prison for six (6) years.
The results: The case was dismissed by the district attorney without a trial. Self-defense was sufficiently established.
The case: The client was involved in a fight with an employee. The employee wanted to be paid in advance of completion of a job. The client denied the advance. A fight ensued. The alleged victim sustained serious injuries that required surgery. The client was charged with aggravated assault and was facing up to six (6) years in prison if convicted of aggravated assault.
The results: The case was dismissed. We were able to locate and subpoena witnesses that law enforcement had not fully interviewed. We were able to show that the alleged victim was person that actually started the fight.
The case: The client was involved in an altercation with another individual. The alleged victim was cut by the client with a knife in the stomach. The alleged victim had to be lifeflighted because of the significant injuries sustained from the stabbing. The question became whether or not the stabbing was accidental or intentional. The defense was that despite the significant injuries of the alleged victim, this was an accident and not a crime. The client was facing up to six (6) years in prison on the aggravated assault charge.
The results: The client received a misdemeanor plea with minimal jail time rather than a felony with potential prison time. The client and his family were very pleased that this unfortunate incident did not ruin his life by having the limitations that a felony conviction can place on an individual.
Drug Charges
The case: The seventeen-year-old client was found to be selling marijuana. The issue became whether a disposition could be negotiated to keep the felony case from being transferred to adult court where the client would face much stiffer penalties.
The results: The client received a juvenile court informal adjustment meaning the case was not transferred to adult court and the client will not have the matter on his record. The client and his parents were satisfied.
The case: The client sold a controlled substance to a confidential informant. The offer included a significant amount of jail time, which would have left client mother without anyone to care for her children.
The results: Before the sentencing hearing, the case was negotiated where the client did not go to jail and received only probation.
The case: The client was in a vehicle stopped by the police for a traffic violation in Coffee County. A significant amount of marijuana was found by law enforcement.
The results: The case was settled for a reduced charge of a misdemeanor simple possession to the great satisfaction of the client and his mother and grandmother.
The case: The client was found in a vehicle and was taken into custody on unrelated matters. His vehicle could have been driven from the scene by his uncle, but law enforcement subjected the vehicle to a search to which the client did not consent. A methamphetamine lab was found in the client’s truck. A motion to suppress was filed regarding a potential unconstitutional search of the vehicle.
The results: The client received a three (3) year parole eligible negotiated plea agreement when facing a twenty (20) year sentence to the satisfaction of the client.
The case: The client was found in a house that contained an active methamphetamine laboratory after law enforcement executed a search warrant on the house. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison.
The results: The case was dismissed based on an invalid search warrant.
The case: The client was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The state trooper held the client and the other occupants of the vehicle for arguably longer than it would have taken to write the speeding ticket. Consent to search the vehicle was given by the driver of the vehicle and a significant amount of methamphetamine was found inside of the vehicle. The client was facing eight (8) to twelve (12) years in prison for possession with intent to sell or deliver the schedule two controlled substance, that being the methamphetamine found inside of the vehicle in which the client was riding.
The results: A motion to suppress the evidence based on an unconstitutional seizure was filed by the defense. As a result of the motion to suppress filed, the case was settled for a misdemeanor rather than a felony with time served in jail sufficing for the punishment received. The client was extremely satisfied with the outcome.
The case: The client was driving slowly on a street in Tullahoma in a high crime neighborhood. He was showing a passenger his hometown and places that he previously frequented as a child, which was the reason slow vehicle speed. He was on parole, and was blue lighted by the police. He had no drugs on his person, while his passenger had cocaine on her person as well as drug paraphernalia. The police arrested both parties.
The results: The felony drug case was dismissed against the client after negotiations with the district attorney. There was no showing that the client had actual possession or constructive possession of the drugs. The seizure of his automobile by law enforcement was also constitutionally questionable.
Bonnaroo Drug Citations and Bonnaroo Drug Arrests
The case: The client was charged with selling MDMA to an undercover Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Agent. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison.
The results: A misdemeanor plea deal was negotiated where the client was able to get it expunged from his record. He served no jail time. This was determined to be a casual exchange of drugs rather than a felony drug deal. He now works for an overseas investment firm.
The case: The client was charged with possessing approximately a pound of MDMA at Bonnaroo that was individually packaged for resale. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison.
The results: The case was dismissed after it was should through expert evaluation that the client was a victim of significant domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend who was also charge. She was under extreme duress to work for her drug dealing boyfriend. Her case was dismissed. The boyfriend (not our client) went to jail and pled to a felony.
The case: The client was charged with possessing various controlled substances at Bonnaroo with the intent to sell or deliver the controlled substance. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison. She was holding the drugs for her group of “friends” and no one claimed their fair share of the drugs.
The results: The client received a misdemeanor plea deal where she served no jail time and was eligible to have the charge expunged.
The case: The client was charged with possessing cocaine with the intent to sell or deliver the controlled substance. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison.
The results: The client served a minimum amount of jail time and had his felony charge reduced to a misdemeanor.
The case: The client was charged with possessing mushrooms and MDMA with the intent to sell or deliver the controlled substance. The client was facing twelve (12) years in prison.
The results: The client received a fully probated sentence with no jail time. The client was able to stay out of prison and raise his children.
The case: The client was a college student and was charged with an amount of marijuana sufficient to qualify for possession with the intent to sell or deliver the drug, which would be a felony. The college student had no prior criminal history. The client was in danger of losing his full scholarship to college.
The results: The client was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor simple possession offense under judicial diversion where the client was able to get his record expunged after plea negotiations with the district attorney. The client and his family were very satisfied with the outcome.
The case: The client had just received his GED and came to Bonnaroo. He was charged after he sold a controlled substance, which was a small amount of mushrooms.
The results: The client was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor simple possession offense under judicial diversion where the client was able to get his record expunged after plea negotiations with the district attorney. The client and his family were very satisfied with the outcome.
The case: The client was caught by law enforcement at Bonnaroo selling a small amount of mushrooms, which is a schedule one controlled substance.
The results: The matter was settled for a misdemeanor with diversion where the client could get the matter expunged from the client’s record and pursue a career as a lawyer.
The case: The client was caught by law enforcement at Bonnaroo possessing a large amount of mushrooms and marijuana. The client was a college student that claimed the amounts of drugs that belonged to him but also with the other occupants of his vehicle.
The results: The matter was settled for a misdemeanor with diversion where the client could get the matter expunged from the client’s record and pursue a career as a lawyer.
The case: The client was caught by law enforcement at Bonnaroo with almost two (2) ounces of marijuana, which is a schedule six controlled substance. The client was cited for a felony of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell or deliver the controlled substance.
The results: The matter was settled for a misdemeanor with diversion where the client could get the matter expunged from the client’s record. The client and her father were extremely satisfied with the outcome.
Felony Theft
The case: The client worked as the manager of a familiar government office and was charged with felony theft over several years of mileage entries. The client maintained that it was an accounting error that had never been corrected. The client was removed from her position with the government office.
The results: The felony theft indictment was dismissed after payment of restitution when it was shown she did not have the intent to steal anything. The client returned to her same job at the same rate of pay.
Domestic Assault
The case: The client was a college student who was set up for a domestic violence charge by his former girlfriend after a breakup. This triggered a criminal charge as well as a formal inquiry by his college into the domestic violence charge that also placed his college education and professional career plans at significant risk.
The results: After it was shown that this was a vindictive stunt by an ex-girlfriend, the domestic violence charge and the college inquiry were both dismissed. The client is back in college pursuing his plans.
The case: The client found that his wife was cheating on him with another man. Police were called after an argument. The wife alleged that the client assaulted her.
The results: The case was dismissed when it was sufficiently shown that no crime was committed.
The case: The client had allowed his mentally unstable aunt to live in his residence. A verbal argument ensued between the two over the living arrangements. The alleged victim told police that the client had “bumped” her and was mean and abusive to her. The client denied those allegations. The client was arrested.
The results: The domestic violence case was dismissed against the client after negotiations with the district attorney. An independent investigation by Keeton Law Firm, PLLC, revealed that the alleged victim had fabricated the story to the police in order to live rent-free in the client’s residence for a period of time and without the presence of the client.
DUI (Driving Under The Influence)
The case: The underage client was charged with DUI. He had been smoking marijuana.
The results: The case was dismissed when it was sufficiently shown that the client was not intoxicated when he was operating his vehicle. Client (and his mom) were very pleased with the outcome.
The case: The client was arrested for a DUI second offense by a state trooper. She was facing a minimum of forty-five (45) days in jail if she was convicted. The report of the officer indicated that she failed five (5) out of six (6) standard field sobriety tests administered by the state trooper. There were issues presented as to whether the allegedly failed standard field sobriety tests were the result of a medical condition suffered by the client or if she was actually driving intoxicated.
The results: The DUI second offense was dismissed to the great satisfaction of the client and her mother and her sister.
The case: The client was driving home and veered off the interstate in an attempt to get gasoline. His vehicle ran out of gasoline, and he pulled off the side of the road. The client went to sleep in the vehicle, as it was late and dark outside. A few hours later, the client was blue lighted by the police and was later arrested for DUI after failing standard field sobriety tests.
The results: The case was dismissed to the great satisfaction of the client and his family due to an unconstitutional seizure and that the vehicle could not be operated.
The case: The client was charged with DUI. She had smoked marijuana several hours before she was pulled over by law enforcement. The prosecution alleged she was intoxicated while driving even though the marijuana was smoked several hours before.
The results: The case was dismissed when it was sufficiently shown that the client was not intoxicated when she was operating his vehicle.
Felony Evading Arrest & Reckless Endangerment
The case: The 21-year-old client was charged with felony evading arrest and reckless endangerment in Coffee County, Tennessee. The client had his vehicle stolen. The driver that stole the car was involved with a 108mph high-speed chase with a state trooper from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in the stolen automobile. The thief’s description generally matched the client’s description (white male with facial hair in his late teens/early twenties). When the client reported his vehicle stolen, he found that the Tennessee Highway Patrol had issued felony warrants for his arrest. He was taken to jail. It was a true case of mistaken identity and law enforcement identifying the wrong person. The client was innocent facing felonies with one that carried mandatory minimum jail time.
The results: Keeton Law Firm, PLLC, through its own independent investigation, located the client’s stolen car and proved to the satisfaction of the cops that they had the wrong person. The felony charges against the client were dismissed and expunged. The client and Keeton Law Firm, PLLC are continuing to work with the local district attorney’s office to bring the true culprit to justice.