April 23, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - On Friday, April 20, 2012, Michael Travis Brandon , 26, of Johnson City, Tenn., was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, to serve120 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Honorable Leon Jordan, U.S. District Judge, ordered this sentence to run consecutive to two separate state sentences in Washington and Carter counties.

Evidence showed that on May 31, 2009, Brandon assaulted his girlfriend and inflicted serious injuries upon her with a knife, his own hands and other tools. The girlfriend ran to the house of a neighbor to get help for her and her children. Shortly thereafter, Brandon appeared at the neighbor’s house with a firearm. Brandon pointed the firearm at one of the neighbors and threatened to kill him, his girlfriend and the children. Once police officers arrived to the scene, Brandon fled into the woods with a firearm. A search of the residence occupied by Brandon and his girlfriend revealed at least four weapons, one of which was a SKS assault rifle with a bayonet attachment. Two of the four firearms were reported as being stolen and one had an obliterated serial number. Brandon remained a fugitive for approximately two months before he was apprehended.

Further evidence showed that Brandon pointed another firearm at a separate victim in March 2009, and fired shots into the air in the parking lot of a Johnson City nightclub, before leaving in a vehicle. Police officers later located this vehicle occupied by Brandon and found a Glock .40 caliber firearm under the seat in the same area he had been sitting. Brandon had previously been convicted of assault on three other occasions before either of these two instances.

U.S. Attorney William C. Killian stated, “The arrest and conviction in this case sends a powerful message that violent felons with firearms will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted in the Eastern District of Tennessee. I want to thank all those involved in bringing this individual to justice.”

Law enforcement agencies participating in the investigations which led to the indictment and subsequent convictions of Brandon include the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Johnson City Police Department, Johnson City Police Department Vice Squad, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Taylor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Whittemore represented the United States.