SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — A formal legal petition seeking the immediate suspension and permanent removal of 4th Judicial District Attorney General James B. “Jimmy” Dunn was filed today in the Circuit Court of Sevier County.

The court filing, titled a “Complaint for Order of Suspension from Office and Writ of Ouster,” was brought on behalf of the State of Tennessee by eleven local citizens and freeholders—including Erik Cooper, Kim Pierce, and Tommy Joe Norton—represented by lead attorney Aaron M. Kimsey pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 8-47-101 et seq.. The petition requests that the court issue an order immediately suspending Dunn from performing the duties of District Attorney General pending a final judicial hearing, citing extensive alleged abuse of office and official misconduct.

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Key Allegations Outlined in the Complaint

The ouster petition details a series of specific factual allegations alleging that Dunn knowingly and willfully abused his official authority:

• Misuse of Armed State Investigators for Private Matters: In 2015 or 2016, Dunn allegedly dispatched armed state investigators carrying guns and badges to an address in Blount County to recover a private furniture deposit for a friend of Jeff Simms. Investigators collected the cash and delivered the funds directly to Simms’s business on Newport Highway under Dunn’s explicit instruction.
• Interference with Grand Jury Presentments and Intimidation: Dunn allegedly instituted an unauthorized screening questionnaire to conduct independent probable-cause investigations before allowing citizens to access the grand jury. During citizen presentments, Dunn allegedly questioned presenters in a subversive manner and threatened citizen presenters with criminal charges and imprisonment to deter them from participating in the process.
• Surveillance and Stalking of Office Staff: In 2018 or 2019, Dunn allegedly ordered a state investigator to follow and stalk Victim Witness Coordinator Stephanie Johnson over the span of a week, which included taking photographs of her personal residence. In 2024, Dunn allegedly directed investigators to conduct similar surveillance on Assistant District Attorney Joanne Sheldon while she was performing her duties.
• Pending Felony Charges: The complaint highlights that Dunn was charged by criminal presentment with two counts of official oppression, one count of official misconduct, one count of retaliation for past action, one count of witness coercion, and one count of civil-rights intimidation.

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Growing History of Legal Turmoil

This ouster petition is the latest in a series of mounting legal troubles confronting the district’s top prosecutor.

According to official summaries of his ongoing proceedings, Dunn was previously arrested alongside Assistant Attorney General William “Brownlow” Marsh following grand jury indictments returned in Sevier County. Those criminal proceedings charge Dunn with multiple felony offenses, including official oppression—stemming from allegations that the two senior prosecutors orchestrated an unlawful arrest.

Compounding his criminal indictments, Dunn is also named as a defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging deliberate misconduct, wrongful arrest, and severe violations of constitutional rights. Together, the criminal charges, civil litigation, and new ouster filing have sparked intense public debate over administrative accountability in the 4th Judicial District and prompted calls for external oversight as Dunn’s position as chief prosecutor remains heavily compromised.