Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WLVT) – Fourth Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn will remain in office after reversing his decision to retire, according to Governor Bill Lee’s office.
The announcement comes just days after Dunn was indicted and arrested on multiple felony charges stemming from allegations that he and an assistant district attorney orchestrated an unlawful arrest in 2023.
A spokesperson for Governor Lee confirmed Monday that Dunn’s previously announced retirement is no longer moving forward.
“General Dunn informed our office that he no longer intends to retire. As a result, there is no vacancy for the Governor to fill,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
Dunn announced in July that he planned to step down effective Aug. 31 after nearly 40 years with the Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which serves Sevier, Cocke, Jefferson and Grainger counties.
His abrupt change of plans leaves him in office while he faces a criminal case that has drawn statewide attention.
Felony Charges Filed
Dunn was indicted and arrested Aug. 27 on six felony charges:
- Official Misconduct / Unauthorized Exercise of Official Power
- Official Oppression
- Retaliation for Past Action Against a Witness
- Conspiracy to Commit Official Oppression
- Coercion of a Witness
- Civil Rights Intimidation
Assistant District Attorney William Brownlow Marsh was also charged in connection with the case.
According to the indictment, Dunn and Marsh conspired to orchestrate what prosecutors describe as a “premature and unlawful” arrest of Erik Cooper immediately after Cooper exited a grand jury proceeding in May 2023.
The indictment alleges Dunn directed Marsh to obtain an arrest warrant from a previous indictment against Cooper before the grand jury appearance on May 1, 2023.
Court records further allege the arrest warrant process had not been properly completed when Cooper was taken into custody and detained.
Questions About Dunn’s Future
Dunn’s decision to remain in office means Governor Lee currently has no authority to appoint a replacement because no vacancy exists.
However, questions remain about the future leadership of the Fourth Judicial District as the criminal case proceeds through the court system.
The district attorney’s office oversees prosecutions in Sevier, Cocke, Jefferson and Grainger counties and handles thousands of criminal cases each year.
The allegations against Dunn center on accusations that official authority was used to intimidate or retaliate against a witness through the arrest of Cooper.
Dunn has not publicly announced whether he intends to continue serving throughout the legal proceedings.
Longtime Prosecutor
Dunn has spent decades in the Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office and has served as district attorney for more than 20 years.
His original retirement announcement in July appeared to signal the end of a lengthy career in East Tennessee law enforcement and prosecution.
Instead, his decision to remain in office now places him at the center of a major legal and political controversy while facing multiple felony counts related to his conduct as the district’s top prosecutor.
