In a statement from Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, he says, “As you know, drug abuse and overdoses are a plague on our community and throughout Tennessee and the rest of this Country. Certainly, those who abuse drugs are responsible for their decisions but those who choose to profit from this plague are responsible for their conduct as well.” Northcott office recognizes this as does all local and State law enforcement.
Coffee County has experienced a marked increase in overdoses including those resulting in death over the last year. Fentanyl is a major component in that increase. Northcott says, “To that end, we have focused on investigating overdose deaths in an effort to hold those who distributed the drugs resulting in that murder accountable for their conduct. In fact, the Tullahoma Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, TBI and my office have been working closely together to address this problem. These are difficult and intensive investigations. However, those efforts have been fruitful, and we will continue to work towards protecting this community through this effort.”
Specifically, Paul Wayne Wade Fletcher, Jr. was indicted in September 2020 for several offenses including Second Degree Murder for a fentanyl related death in June. He is being held on a $250,000 bond awaiting his next court appearance on March 21, 2021.
In a separate case, Mark Luttrell, Sr. was indicted earlier this month for drug related offenses including Second Degree Murder for a fentanyl related death in June. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail on a $175,000 bond awaiting his arraignment on January 6, 2021.
In yet another case, Hunter Gremillion was indicted earlier this month for drug related offenses including Second Degree Murder for a fentanyl related death in June. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail on a $150,000 bond awaiting his arraignment on January 6, 2021.
To be clear, these are each separate cases with different victims. None are directly connected to the others. Also, we have other similar cases pending against other individuals but these are the three (3) most recent indictments. Second Degree Murder is a Class A Felony and carries a penalty of 15-25 years in prison for defendants with no more than one (1) previous felony conviction. However, under Tennessee’s current sentencing laws, a Class A Felony is punishable by up to 60 years in prison for those with at least five (5) prior Class A, B or C felony convictions.
