Six Defendants Enter Guilty Pleas In Carter County Criminal Court

Six defendants in a 2019 drug sting operation entered guilty pleas in Carter County Criminal Court on Thursday. Operation Sundown was a joint investigation by the drug units of Elizabethton Police and Carter County Sheriff’s Department. In total 44 defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine. Brandon Keith Lewis was sentenced to twenty years in prison for two counts of possession of meth. Also sentenced on 15 years terms are Hutch Freddie Sims, and Taylor Brooke Crowe. Michael Shane Walker was given a 12 year sentence followed by Larry Edward Bud Stapleton and James Terry Pierce on ten year sentences each. Of the 44 charged, 28 have now been resolved by entering plea agreements.