Blackburn, Harshbarger write to ICE for help finding 2017 vehicular homicide suspect

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Lawmakers representing Northeast Tennesseans have reached out to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help bring attention to the search for the suspect in a fatal 2017 collision in Washington County.

The Washington County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) issued a news release on Tuesday, stating that both U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger wrote letters to Patrick Lechleitner, the director of the ICE.

Blackburn and Harshbarger reached out to the ICE on the WCSO’s behalf to ask for aid in finding Mexican national Alan Jacob Mogollon-Anaya.

Mogollon-Anaya faces the following charges:

• Vehicular homicide
• 3 counts of aggravated child abuse and neglect
• Aggravated assault
• Driving under the influence
• Driving left of center
• Violation of probation

Mogollon-Anaya’s charges stem from an April 2017 head-on collision that claimed the life of 37-year-old Shirra Branum.

The WCSO reports Mogollon-Anaya had two prior DUI convictions when he entered the U.S. without inspection in 2003. He was reportedly ordered removed in October 2017 and is an ICE immigration fugitive.

According to the WCSO, Mogollon-Anaya was dropped from the ICE’s Most Wanted list in 2021. The WCSO had been in communication with the U.S. Marshals, who were assisting with the search for Mogollon-Anaya, but the last communication from the Marshals came in December 2022.

Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton said while the lack of assistance from federal agencies is frustrating for his investigators, it is much worse for Branum’s family.

“Sometimes you need an extra push to get the ball rolling again,” Sexton stated in the news release. “We’ve worked with our fellow law enforcement officers, but the ball was dropped at the federal level. It is our hope that Sen. Blackburn and Rep. Harshbarger together can bring this issue to the forefront, get Mogollon-Anaya back on a fugitive list and ultimately back in our jurisdiction to answer to these charges.”

The letters from Blackburn and Harshbarger asked Lechleitner why Mogollon-Anaya was removed from the list. Additionally, the WCSO reports that Harshbarger asked questions related to collaboration between agencies. Blackburn asked what could be done in terms of assisting the Marshals in efforts to extradite criminals who flee from the U.S.

“We haven’t forgotten about Mogollon-Anaya. Ms. Branum’s family certainly hasn’t forgotten. We just want ICE to not forget,” Sexton said.

Anyone with information regarding Mogollon-Anaya is asked to call the WCSO at 423-788-1414.

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