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Two co-defendants, Overton County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Grigg and Lieutenant
Johnny Gann, pleaded guilty to related charges last week, just prior to the
commencement of the trial. A fourth defendant, Overton County Sheriff’s
Lieutenant James Loftis, also pleaded guilty in June 2005 to a related civil rights
charge. In total, four Overton County law enforcement officers have been convicted
in the course of this prosecution.
The jury found Gilpatrick guilty of willfully violating the civil rights of an
inmate in the Overton County Jail by arranging for two other jail inmates to assault
the victim. The jury also convicted Gilpatrick of conspiring with Grigg and Loftis
to violate the victim’s civil rights. Grigg and Loftis pleaded guilty to conspiring
with Gilpatrick to have the victim assaulted. Gann further pleaded guilty to lying to
federal investigators during the investigation of this incident. The inmates who
assaulted the victim have agreed to plead guilty to state assault charges later this
year.
“Those who abuse their position of trust are an affront to the vast majority
of law enforcement officers who perform honorably under dangerous and difficult
circumstances,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights
Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously enforcing the
criminal civil rights laws.”
“I want to commend the FBI for its thorough investigation of this case,” said
Craig S. Morford, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee in
Nashville. “I pledge my office’s support to investigating and prosecuting civil
rights violations when they occur.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Cohen and Civil Rights Division attorneys
Gerry Hogan and Jim Felte prosecuted this case for the government.
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