At the time of the offense, Wright was awaiting transport to the Tennessee Department of Correction to begin serving a 33-year prison sentence for the murders of Steve Groover and Cindy Scruggs. While in custody, Wright orchestrated a plan with co-defendants Dustin McCarroll and Sara Huffman to use the legal mail system as a means to introduce Suboxone, a Schedule III controlled substance, into the jail. The testimony revealed that Wright intended to profit financially from the sale of the drugs while incarcerated.

Thanks to proactive measures by the Roane County Sheriff’s Department, the plot was discovered and stopped before the contraband reached inmates but had already entered the jail. Jail staff were alerted to the scheme through a tip from another inmate and intelligence shared by other correctional facilities across Tennessee. A coordinated investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) led to Wright’s indictment and conviction.

Wright now faces an additional sentence of up to 12 years in prison at 60% service, given his extensive prior criminal record. The key issue at his upcoming sentencing hearing on January 27, 2026, will be whether this new sentence will run concurrently or consecutively to his existing 33-year sentence.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kristin Curtis and Jonathan Edwards, with the assistance of Karen Joseph and Tami Legg.

This case underscores our commitment to holding offenders accountable, even after conviction.