Tamera McAnnallyA Tunnel Hill couple has been convicted by a jury of possession of a firearm by convicted felon and other charges after a traffic stop in Ringgold, Georgia, in January, according to a news release from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit’s district attorney’s office.
“We have seen a significant rise across the country in illegal firearm possession and usage,” said Chris Arnt, district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.
As part of the announcement, Arnt criticized some district attorneys who he said aren’t holding criminals accountable.
The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit covers four counties in Northwest Georgia: Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker.
Philip Lamar Byrd, 43, was sentenced to 10 years, with four of those years to be served in prison without the possibility of parole. Byrd was also convicted of driving under the influence, disregarding a traffic control device (two counts) and improper driving on a divided highway.
Tamera Marie McAnnally, 32, was also sentenced to 10 years with one year to be served in prison. McAnnally was also convicted of obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
“While some woke politicians and prosecutors have decided the solution is passing more gun laws that impact only law abiding citizens, we have taken a different approach in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit,” Arnt’s release said. “We believe in actually prosecuting the laws already on the books and holding those who illegally use or possess guns accountable.”
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The day-long trial held Sept. 29 was presided over by Superior Court Judge Brian House. Deanna Reisman, assistant district attorney, prosecuted the case.
Evidence showed Byrd was driving a truck on Highway 151 in the early hours of Jan. 30, the release said, with McAnnally as his passenger. The couple was towing a large boat without the proper equipment, and the release said Byrd ran two red lights and was driving on the gore, a technical term for the portion of the road between lanes, on ramps or at the edge of a lane, Arnt said in a followup email.
On a routine patrol, Officer Mathias Green of the Ringgold Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Byrd’s vehicle as he was entering Interstate 75, using the on-ramp at Exit 348, according to the DA.
Though the couple was cooperative with officers at first, the release said Byrd became argumentative with Green and his supervisor, Sgt. Joshua Van Dyke, when the suspect was asked to exit his vehicle.
“Byrd was clearly under the influence of drugs and alcohol, manifested by his dangerous driving, as well as his loud, boisterous, and bizarre behavior,” the release said. “Byrd failed standardized field sobriety tests and was arrested for driving under the influence and traffic offenses.”
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The suspect also began yelling and arguing, the release said, when officers said Byrd’s truck would be towed from the highway’s on-ramp.
Sitting in the passenger seat, McAnnally was cooperative until asked to hand the vehicle’s keys over to officers, the release said. When McAnnally was told by officers that the truck would be towed, she rolled up the windows and locked the vehicle’s doors, authorities said.
“Sgt. Van Dyke asked McAnnally to unlock the doors to the truck multiple times and she refused,” the release said, so Van Dyke broke the window to enter the vehicle.
A .22 revolver was found in the front seat area of the truck, accessible to both Byrd and McAnnally, the release said. Both of them were convicted felons legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Byrd has previous convictions for burglary, multiple cases of forgery, multiple cases of theft and violent obstruction of law enforcement officers, while McAnnally has a previous conviction for theft.
“If you are a convicted felon and possess a gun in our circuit, you should expect to go to prison,” Arnt said. “The solution to the growing crime problem in America is to actually hold criminals accountable.”
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.