Senior Judge D. Kelly Thomas on Tuesday sentenced 51-year-old Jason Paul Starritt to eight months in jail after a jury convicted him of driving under the influence and several related charges stemming from a traffic stop near Montgomery Village in South Knoxville. The one-day trial ended with jurors finding Starritt guilty of DUI, running a stop sign, reckless driving, and open-container violations. Prosecutors said the case began on August 9, 2024, when officers reported seeing a white Dodge Ram roll through a stop sign at Daylily Drive and Joe Lewis Road.
According to a press release from the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, Officer Brandon Holland initiated the traffic stop after watching the truck ignore the stop sign. Prosecutors said Holland noted the smell of alcohol on Starritt, who then failed field sobriety tests. Inside the truck, officers reported finding two open 24-ounce Twisted Teas in the cupholders and a half-full bottle of Fireball whiskey. Assistant District Attorneys Mitch Eisenberg and Leah Holley presented the case to the jury and advised the court they would seek an enhanced sentence based on Starritt’s prior record, according to the office.
How the stop unfolded
Prosecutors said the August 9 traffic stop escalated quickly after the Dodge Ram not only ran the stop sign but then “squealed the tires” while accelerating toward railroad tracks on Joe Lewis Road, behavior Knoxville police documented in their reports. After the trial, Senior Judge D. Kelly Thomas formally imposed the eight-month jail term, and District Attorney Charme Allen publicly announced the outcome on Facebook.
Legal context
Under Tennessee law, driving under the influence is a Class A misdemeanor that can carry a sentence of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail. For a first offense, penalties commonly include at least 48 hours in custody, a minimum $350 fine, mandatory DUI school and a one-year driver’s license revocation, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety. The agency notes that judges may impose enhanced sentences for repeat offenders, a point prosecutors argued was squarely in play in Starritt’s case.
Prior record and sentence reasoning
The District Attorney’s Office said Starritt, 51, has five prior felony convictions out of Blount and Hamblen counties, including aggravated burglary, reckless endangerment, attempted aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated stalking. Prosecutors also noted that he was convicted of assaulting a woman in Blount County while he was out on bond in the South Knoxville DUI case. “Based on this offender’s criminal history, we will seek the maximum punishment at sentencing,” the office wrote in its release. Knox County District Attorney’s Office…