The following is a press release from the office of District Attorney, Jason Lawson.
A Smith County man has been sentenced to serve nine years in the Tennessee Department of Correction for a 2021 case in which he sold methamphetamine to a police informant working with the 15th Judicial District Drug Task Force. Andrew Murray pleaded guilty in an open plea agreement after prosecutors and defense counsel were unable to agree upon an acceptable sentence in the case. When this occurs, the case is submitted to a special sentencing hearing before Judge Brody Kane.
At the hearing, which was prosecuted by District Attorney General Jason Lawson, Judge Kane heard from a pre-sentence investigation officer called to testify by Lawson. The pre-sentence officer testified that Murray had one prior drug sale felony on his record and had multiple failed attempts at probation on other misdemeanor charges. As a result of this past behavior, Lawson argued that Murray was not a good candidate for alternative sentencing and should not be given another chance at probation. Lawson also argued that methamphetamine was a plague on the Smith County community, and that those who sell the drug should be held accountable for their actions. At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Kane found that nine years was the appropriate length of the sentence, and that given the past history of Murray, that the sentence should be served in jail rather than granted an opportunity for probation.
“So many of the crimes that we see and so many of the problems that we face as a community have one common thread—illegal drugs. I am thankful that Judge Kane applied that law and sent a message that those who sell these deadly substances are likely to find themselves behind bars,” Lawson said.
“Like nearly everyone else who sell drugs, the defendant claimed that he only sold drugs to feed his own habit. In truth, that doesn’t matter. The defendant has now become a drug dealer himself. We do have programs to help those addicted to drugs. The Smith County Drug Coalition, the courts, the Smith County Drug Court Program, probation, even the DAs office, we will help those addicted to drugs to get off the drugs and break the addiction. We want to do that. All that a person has to do is ask for help. But if you instead decide to become a dealer yourself and peddle this poison to other people in the community, don’t be surprised if the courts and prosecutors in turn treat you like a drug dealer,” Lawson explained.
“I believe that in order to combat our drug problem, we have to do several things. We have to make rehabilitation available for those who want it. We also have to send the message to those that sell it that we are going to hold them accountable for selling. And for those who want to make excuses and justify their conduct, we must let them know that their excuses won’t be accepted. Both we and they know that they have other options available, and they are selling only because they are choosing to sell. If we let them believe that they will escape accountability for selling drugs by offering an excuse for their selling, we are sending the wrong message to them. That is counter-productive to our end goal of reducing our drug problem,” said Lawson.
Murray has been in custody in the Smith County jail since the time of his arrest.
