SULLIVAN COUNTY – An investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Drug Related Death Task Force and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office has resulted in the indictment of two people in connection to an overdose death. 

In July 2022, TBI agents joined detectives with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the suspected overdose death of Peggy Shianne Shelton (DOB: 7/30/99) after she was found deceased at a residence in the 300 block of Cave Hill Road in Blountville. Her cause of death was determined to be an overdose caused by acute fentanyl intoxication. During the course of the investigation, authorities determined that Jason Tyler Easter (DOB: 6/27/86) and Andrew Landon Jackson (DOB: 2/16/95) were the individuals responsible for providing the fentanyl to the victim that resulted in her death.

Last week, the Sullivan County Grand Jury returned indictments charging both Jason Easter and Andrew Jackson with one count of Second Degree Murder and one count of  Delivery of Schedule II – Fentanyl.  Today, Andrew Jackson was arrested and booked into the Sullivan County Jail on a $70,000 bond. A hold has been placed on Jason Easter in the Loudon County Jail, where he is currently being held on unrelated charges.  

The Drug Related Death Task Force in Sullivan County is a partnership between the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 2^nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, the 2^nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, Bristol, TN Police Department, and Kingsport Police Department. The goal of the task force is to pursue those distributing deadly drug combinations that are resulting in epidemic levels of addiction and death in Northeast Tennessee. The task force receives funding through the Appalachia High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) initiative, which uses a multi-disciplinary approach to address public health and safety issues that center around the opioid epidemic as well as other dangerous drug trends.