DA: Monroe County inmate sentenced for stealing truck during 2022 escape

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A man who was convicted of stealing a maintenance worker’s truck after escaping from a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office inmate work crew has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen’s office announced Wednesday morning that Ricky Lynn Burnette, 54, was sentenced to serve 12 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. In August, Burnette was convicted of theft of over $2,500 .

During the one-day trial, prosecutors told the jury that on November 18, 2022, Burnett escaped from a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office inmate work crew and stole a truck belonging to a maintenance employee. The next day, Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies received information about a stolen vehicle on Chapman Highway that Burnette may have been in. The deputies were able to locate that vehicle at a Dollar General and took Burnette into custody.

“With this latest conviction, this career criminal is back in custody where he belongs,” said
DA Allen

When the conviction was announced, the DA’s office noted that a 12-year sentence would be the only possible sentence because of Burnette’s criminal history. According to Allen’s office, Burnette has 15 prior felony convictions out of Monroe, Loudon, Hamilton, and Knox
Counties for aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, theft, escape, and evading arrest.

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