Shots Across the Bow

Back in 1964, McNairy County Tennessee had a big problem with corruption. The Dixie Mafia and the State Line Gang divided the county between them, running moonshine, women and crooked gambling out of bars and clubs, and the law, well, they just tried to keep civilians out of the crossfire.

Fear ruled the county until the people elected themselves a 6'6" rawboned former Marine and semi professional wrestler by the name of Buford Pusser as their sheriff. From 1964 to 1970, Pusser cleaned up McNairy County. It wasn't easy and it wasn't quick, and it came at a terrible cost. He was shot eight times, stabbed seven times, and worst, his wife was killed during an assassination attempt.Pusser died in a car accident in 1974 that many still believe was a successful hit on the former sheriff. His story caught the imagination of Hollywood and they made a movie about him called Walking Tall.

Pusser succeeded where others had failed for three reasons. He was tough; he didn’t quit and he never backed down. He refused to compromise or be compromised; he stood for the citizens of McNairy County and he did the job they elected him to do to the best of his abilities. And he had a passion for justice. He was driven by the need to see that those who broke the law were punished accordingly.

Fast forward 40 years and move from the state line to East Tennessee. Things have changed in four decades. Meth labs and prescription pills have replaced moonshine stills and white lightning; human trafficking and sexual slavery have replaced prostitution; and gambling, while mostly still illegal, has been taken over by the state in the form of a lottery.

The criminals have gotten stronger; the crimes have gotten nastier; the thugs have gotten more violent. Knox County has a growing problem with drugs, gangs and violence and Knox County Sheriff J. J. Jones is the man the voters chose to address those problems. So far, Jones hasn't shown much progress in dealing with these issues. East Tennessee leads the nation in meth labs. We’re at the top of the leader board in pill mills and prescription drug abuse. Our schools have more drugs than most pharmacies. So many kids and young adults are overdosing that the DA doesn't even bother trying to treat it as a crime anymore. Dealers operate in the open all over Knox County without fear of arrest. A human trafficking ring operated in West Knox County for over a year without the Sheriff’s office ever even noticing. It seems the victims of the crime were beneath the Sheriff’s notice.were beneath their notice.

Nope, instead of walking tall, Sheriff J.J. is walking small. Instead of kicking ass and taking names, he’s busy kissing ass and playing games. Instead of cleaning house, he's keeping house for his political friends and cronies.

Knox County needs a Buford Pusser; instead, we've got a Barney Fife.

So where are the heirs of Buford Pusser? Where are the men who stand for justice, regardless of the cost personally or politically? Where are the people who will stand and fight against corruption, indifference and incompetence?

Look into the mirror. We don't always have to wait for a new sheriff to see justice done. Sometimes, if we work for it hard enough, if we are tough, if we refuse to compromise, if we show a passion for justice, then we as citizens can walk tall, and make a difference.

Katie Granju is one citizen who walks tall, all 5' 2" of her.

Her son Henry fell into the trap of drug addiction, and once he was trapped, dealers preyed upon him, keeping him addicted, turning him into a dealer and possibly worse, then killing him with an overdose of drugs. The Knox County Sheriff's Office investigated Henry’s death for 14 months and the DA said it was the most thorough, professional investigation he'd seen from the KCSO. Yet after 14 months of intensive investigation, there were no arrests. The dealers who took Henry home, and allegedly gave him the overdose that eventually killed him were called "Good Samaritans” by the lead investigator from the KCSO. He told Henry’s family that they were only trying to help a kid in trouble.

Katie knew better. She knew there was more to the story and she dug it up. She passed on the information to the KCSO, expecting that they would follow up, and use their greater experience and resources to build a case and to take these dangerous people off the street. She knew what had happened and she refused to stand by quietly and let the KCSO sandbag the investigation. She used every means at her disposal to keep a fire lit under those who would have rather just let things slide.

They pushed back. An ADA said she should shut up. The local paper made her look like an obsessed nutcase. The KCSO did their level best to ignore her, refusing to ever meet in person with her, to listen to the information she had. The community was stirred up against her. She was mocked, criticized, and called all kinds of vile names, accused of being a bad parent, told that she should have done something different, that it was her fault that Henry died.
And in the end, the KCSO closed the case, no charges, no arrests, no justice.

Katie could have quit. She could have compromised and accepted the decision of the DA not to prosecute anybody for anything. She could have abandoned her quest to get some very dangerous people off the street before they contributed to the death of another person.
She could have, but she didn't. She kept fighting, kept asking questions, kept seeking anybody who could help.

And she succeeded.

Today, the Knoxville Police Department arrested Yolanda Harper, Randall Houser, and Laurie Pelot Gooch for multiple felony drug trafficking charges. The three key players in the death of Henry Granju are now behind bars, and while the charges are unrelated to Henry's death, the investigation that resulted in these arrests came from the case files that the KCSO made public, along with the information the Katie Granju provided.

These arrests, and any that follow, come only because Katie refused to quit, despite the tremendous personal cost to her and her family. Katie is getting justice for Henry, and she is succeeding for three reasons.

She’s was tough; she refuses to compromise; and she has a passion for justice.

Katie Granju is walking tall.

Beautifully written

Thank you for a beautiful post.

excellent article! thank you for giving katie the recognition and praise she so deserves!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for writing such a true account of the facts. I have followed Katie for several years and have been in awe of her quest for justice in her son's case.

Great post. I'm happy on a number of levels about this development while also so very sad that nothing can bring Henry back. Good for Katie for persevering here in the land of good 'ol boys.

The fact that these individuals were arrested for selling drugs does not make Henry's death anything other than assumption of the risk by Henry. It is no mystery who killed Henry--it was Henry. He CHOSE to continue to take drugs despite several stints in rehab. He CHOSE to continue to engage in criminal behavior despite a family that offered him every opportunity to get clean. He made those choices as an adult. Despite his adult choices, his mother has parlayed his death into her own attempt at fame. And every single time I see this applause for Katie Granju, it makes me want to vomit. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

Oh, and if addiction is a disease and not a choice, and these people were selling drugs to feed their addiction (exactly like Henry was doing), then why is their behavior inexcusable and we should all hold Henry up for sainthood?

Michelle ... just what the heck is your malfunction? Are you a friend of these monsters? Are you just stupid? Or just a sociopath? It's got to be one of the above.

Tennessee state laws say that if a person distributes illegal substances to another person and they die as a result of consuming that substance, it is chargeable as 2nd degree homicide. Many other states have similar legislation, as well as it exists at a federal level.

It is also quite obvious that you have very little understanding about drug addiction and how it affects a person. Yes, Henry initially made the choice - as a young teenager - to try drugs. It's like playing Russian roulette - no one knows when they first try drugs whether they are susceptible to addiction or not. Henry was. So was my brother. Once the addiction takes hold, it literally drives the behavior of the person so addicted, leading them to make foolish, unwise and dangerous choices, often leading them into high risk situations, vulnerable to the criminal acts of others.

Should that absolve said others of their criminal acts? Because someone was doing something wrong when a crime was committed against them, there should be no criminal charges? So, if you are speeding on the interstate, and a drunk driver creams you, he should be let off because you were doing something wrong ... is that your position?

Or is it just drug addicts that you believe are unworthy of justice? What happens when someone deems you unworthy then?

Henry was in no way excused by anyone - least of all his family - for his wrongdoing. That you continue to beat on that particular drum is very telling about where you come from. I pity you, and anyone else that has to put up with you.

Now please take your trolling somewhere else. Katie might allow it on her blog, but it is not welcome here.

Michelle, you've made your point all over cyberspace. We respect your right to do so and respectfully disagree. I assume you didn't know Henry. Go back and read posts by people who did. Be careful what you espouse because, tragically, no family is safe or immune. That's what Kzte's mission is all about - keeping your family safe.

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