Humphreys County jury convicts Jeremy Jack Winn on drug and paraphernalia charges; sentencing set for Oct. 7

A Humphreys County jury on Monday found Jeremy Jack Winn guilty on counts charging possession of heroin with intent to sell, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to courtroom proceedings in Waverly.

The verdict followed testimony from Waverly police officers, an evidence custodian and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) forensic scientist. Officer Christopher Browning testified that a digital scale fell from Winn’s lap during a traffic stop and that officers later located a black zip‑up glasses container in the passenger‑side door pocket that contained hypodermic needles and suspected drugs. TBI forensic scientist John Scott Jr. testified that laboratory testing identified methamphetamine and a heroin/cocaine mixture and recorded weights for three submitted packages: 12.08 grams (methamphetamine), 0.48 grams (methamphetamine) and 0.74 grams (heroin with cocaine).

Officer Browning said the amounts and the presence of scales were consistent with resale rather than simple possession. "A digital scale fell out of his lap onto the asphalt," Browning testified, and he described finding needles, the sealed packages and $237 on Winn’s person. John Scott, the TBI analyst, said, "In the first bag, I had a weight of 12.08 grams, and it did in fact have methamphetamine present." The evidence custodian, Sergeant Jonathan Portner, described logging, securing and transporting the items to the TBI lab.

Defense counsel repeatedly challenged the state’s theory, arguing that the evidence was consistent with personal use, that some discovery materials had been difficult to access, and that the vehicle’s driver, Samantha Garner, was a potential source of the contraband. Garner testified for the defense and later invoked the Fifth Amendment when questioned on some points on cross‑examination. The defense moved to disqualify the district attorney’s office on a conflict theory; the judge overruled that motion. The defense also moved for a judgment of acquittal on the resale counts; the judge denied that motion.

During trial the jury asked whether ordinary users typically need scales; the court permitted Officer Browning to answer outside the jury’s presence, and he testified that, in his experience, "normal methamphetamine users do not have scales" and that scales more commonly accompany resale. The court admitted Browning’s experience as qualified expert opinion limited to the issues for the jury to weigh.

After deliberating, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on both possession‑with‑intent counts and on the paraphernalia count. The court recorded the verdicts as unanimous and ordered Winn remanded to the custody of the sheriff pending a sentencing hearing. Judge David D. Wolfe set sentencing and related case settings for Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m.

The court record includes admitted exhibits (the digital scale; three packages of tested drugs; and the TBI report) and testimony documenting chain‑of‑custody procedures. The judge instructed the jurors on the law for the charged offenses, explained the concept of lesser‑included offenses (including simple possession), and reminded jurors that expert opinion is not binding and must be weighed with other evidence.

Courtroom activity also recorded procedural disputes over discovery files and the playing of body‑worn camera and dashcam footage; the judge directed counsel to make the contested footage available to defense counsel and the jury viewed portions of video of the stop during trial.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 7; the court remanded Winn to jail pending that hearing.