MEIGS COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, and the 9th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office has resulted in the indictment of a Decatur man in connection to a homicide that occurred in July.
On July 6th, at the request of 9th Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson, TBI agents joined Meigs County detectives in investigating the shooting death of Jason Paul Burnette (DOB: 07/14/78) at a residence in the 700 block of Peakland Road in Decatur. During the course of the investigation, authorities identified Chad Mitchell Lankford (DOB: 01/18/80) as the individual responsible for the victim’s death.
On November 24th, the Meigs County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Chad Lankford with one count of First Degree Murder. Today, he was arrested and booked into the Meigs County Jail on a $1 million bond.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
