Prosecutors drop same-sex rape case investigated by disgraced detective who called for LGBTQ executions
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Prosecutors in Tennessee dropped charges against a man accused of raping another man in a case investigated by a sheriff's detective who called for the state-sponsored executions of LGBTQ people.
Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen's office announced at a hearing Aug. 29 that prosecutors would not seek a retrial.
Assistant District Attorney General Sean McDermott said Friday that former Knox County sheriff's detective Grayson Fritts' involvement weighed on the decision.
"One of the factors that we reviewed is the fact that we were not going to call Mr. Fritts as a witness in a subsequent retrial," McDermott said.
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The defendant, Shawn Lee Smith of Knoxville, initially was indicted on charges including rape and sexual battery stemming from an alleged attack at a West Knox County hotel room in October 2015.
Smith, 47, was accused of luring the man to the hotel under the guise of hiring him to work in a massage therapy business.
Fritts testified in the case before the Knox County grand jury that, in turn, indicted Smith in May 2016.
A mistrial was declared on the sexual assault charges last year after Smith's accuser made several outbursts in court. A jury found Smith guilty on charges of impersonating a licensed professional, a Class E felony, and misdemeanor theft.
Criminal Court Judge Scott Green sentenced Smith to a split-confinement term of four years on the lesser convictions, including one year in the Knox County jail and an additional three years on state probation.
The prosecutors' decision follows a Knoxville News Sentinel investigation in June detailing the anti-LGBTQ comments Fritts, who was a Knox County Sheriff's Office detective, made as a pastor at an independent Baptist church in Knoxville.
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Fritts told his congregation he believed federal, state and local governments should arrest, try, convict and "speedily" execute people within the LGBTQ community on no more grounds than a cellphone photo of a person participating in a Pride event.
The detective's comments were widely condemned by local elected officials. Fritts retired, effective July 19, as part of a pension buyout he was approved for before his sermon came to light.
After the report, Allen announced her office launched a review of all pending cases involving Fritts for potential bias.
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The newspaper's review of court records confirmed Fritts was connected to at least 10 felony criminal cases pending in Knox County, including the Smith case.
McDermott said no decision had been made regarding any other cases.
Follow Hayes Hickman on Twitter: @KNS_Hayes
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grayson Fritts: Prosecutors drop case disgraced detective investigated
