Deputy Mike Holmes of the Grundy County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department was charged with manslaughter after he was forced to fire shots at a suspect armed with a gun. In December, 2017, Deputy Holmes attempted to stop a speeding vehicle, when the vehicle took off down an isolated stretch of roadway. When the suspect reached the end of the road, he spun the vehicle around; then, from behind the wheel, pointed a handgun at Deputy Holmes. Deputy Holmes was forced to fire his weapon at the driver of the vehicle. The driver then accelerated toward Holmes in an attempt to kill the deputy.

The fleeing driver was able to get away from Deputy Holmes and evade capture for several hours. But when his car was found, a 20-year-old woman was found inside the car. While the woman was found to have sustained a gunshot wound, there is strong evidence to suggest that the woman had already died from a methamphetamine overdose, even before the suspect fled from Deputy Holmes.

Deputy Mike Holmes was acting to bravely protect the community when an armed suspect tried to take his life – first with a gun, then by trying to run over him with a car. But instead of thanking him for his valor in the face of danger, he has been charged with a felony that could land him in jail and away from his sons Baden and James for 15 years.

Deputy Holmes, a former Eagle Scout, is a veteran of Public Safety. He has served his community for many years as a volunteer firefighter and EMS provider, even serving as a volunteer fire chief.

The anticipated trial date for Deputy Holmes is February 2020.