July 10, 2012
Department of Justice
United States Attorney William C. Killian Eastern District of Tennessee
Brian Mullins Pleads Guilty To White Pine Pharmacy Robbery
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Brian Mullins, 37, of Talbott, Tenn., pleaded guilty today, July 10, 2012, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville, to the robbery with a handgun of Sanitary Drug Store in White Pine, Tenn. Sentencing has been set for September 5, 2012, at 1:30 p.m.
Mullins faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and a maximum of three years of supervised release for the robbery of the pharmacy. Brandishing a firearm during the robbery carries an additional mandatory minimum seven year sentence which by statute must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed on the underlying offense.
On April 10, 2012, a three-count indictment, which included the aforementioned charges, was returned against Mullins by a federal grand jury sitting in Greeneville, Tennessee.
On March 12, 2012, Mullins entered Sanitary Drug Store, in White Pine, Tenn., with a handgun, ordered the pharmacist to the ground and asked the pharmacist where he kept the oxycodone pills. The pharmacist gave Mullins some pills and he ran out the door. When officers arrived on the scene, witnesses pointed out a truck leaving the back parking lot. After a chase through Jefferson, Cocke and Hamblen counties, and a short foot pursuit, Mullins was apprehended.
U.S. Attorney Bill Killian praised the quick response and excellent work done by the White Pine and Morristown Police Departments. He emphasized the commitment of the U.S. Attorney's Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to addressing this type of violent crime and continued commitment to its victims.
Law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation included the White Pine Police Department, Morristown Police Department and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Reeves and Christian Lampe represented the United States.
This 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. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.
