Paul Shane Strickland, 46, of Athens, was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide on Monday.
A joint investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Madisonville Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and several other local law enforcement agencies resulted in the arrest.
At the request of 10th District Attorney General Steve Crump, on Sunday TBI agents joined Madisonville police officers, THP troopers, officers with the Vonore Police Department, and deputies with the Monroe, Blount, and Loudon County Sheriffs’ Offices in investigating a homicide in Madisonville.
The initial investigation indicates that Christopher Garrett, 26, of Madisonville was in the passenger seat of a vehicle traveling near the 3700 block of Highway 411. A woman was driving, and another male, Paul Strickland, was in the back seat. The investigation revealed the two men engaged in a verbal altercation, and at one point, the woman heard a popping sound and saw Garrett slump over in the seat. Agents learned that as she attempted to transport Garrett to a hospital, the vehicle collided with another vehicle on Highway 411. Strickland ran from the vehicle and into a wooded area, and was ultimately apprehended by law enforcement officers. The investigation identified him as the individual responsible for the death of Christopher Garrett.
On Monday, Strickland was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide. He was booked into the Monroe County Jail on an open court bond.