The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Monday added Chattanooga man Jereme Little to its list of top 10 most wanted fugitives in the state.
Little was convicted of kidnapping in 2008 and served seven years of an 18-year sentence before his conviction was overturned by then-judge Rebecca Stern. Little was released from prison after the May 2015 decision.
But last week, an appellate court reversed Stern's decision and reinstated Little's conviction. He was ordered back to prison, but he has not yet been arrested.
Now, Little is a fugitive and considered armed and dangerous, according to the TBI. He is a member of the Vice Lords gang, stands 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighs about 278 pounds, according to the TBI.
There is a $1,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. Tipsters can call 1-800-TBI-FIND with any information about Little's location.
Little was convicted of kidnapping and torturing another man, Demetrius Grayson. Grayson said Little tied him up and forced him to smoke cocaine and eat dog feces in 1998.
Grayson said he and Little planned to rob another man, but when Little decided to kill the man, Grayson tried to leave, which prompted Little's attack.
Grayson said he escaped, and he didn't report the crime until seven years later, in 2005. Little said Grayson was lying.
When Stern overturned Little's kidnapping conviction, she said Little's trial attorney provided ineffective assistance that affected the outcome of his case, and called the original trial the "messiest" she'd ever sat through.
But in the appellate court's opinion, three judges ruled that Stern was wrong and that Little's attorney failed to prove prejudice.
Little has a long criminal history. He was acquitted in a separate murder trial in which the mother of his unborn child accused him of beating her and causing the child's death. He was also tried twice on a 2001 murder charge in the death of Tony McAfee, but both trials ended in hung juries.
Staff writer Zack Peterson contributed to this story.
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.