The Office of the Ninth Judicial District Attorney General has announced that inmate Lonnie Wright has been convicted by a Roane County jury of Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Facility, a Class D felony,for his role in a scheme to smuggle Suboxone into the Roane County Jail.
The plot was discovered and stopped before the contraband reached inmates but had already entered the jail.
At the time of the offense, Lonnie 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.
The DA’s Office says Wright now faces an additional sentence of up to 12 years in prison at 60% service, given his extensive prior criminal record. His sentencing hearing is on January 27, 2026 when it will be determined whether this new sentence will run concurrently or consecutively to his existing 33-year sentence.