Former general sessions judge Perry Stout pleads guilty, faces 10 years in prison

Former general sessions judge Perry Stout pleaded guilty in Johnson County Court on Friday, January 19, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to sell or deliver Schedule VI (drugs), maintaining a dwelling for the sale or use of narcotics, as well as committing the offense of money laundering.Stout, 52, is now facing a total of 10 years in prison for two separate criminal charges: two years for count one and eight years for count 2.After a nearly two-year investigation and his arrest earlier this week, Stout was arraigned in Johnson County Criminal Court but represented himself, waved all procedures and processes to a jury trial, pleading guilty to all charges with sentencing scheduled by Judge Lisa Rice for April 22, 2024.According to Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks, the timing of Stout's arrest and subsequent arraignment was crucial to the case."You have no idea how close he was being a judge again," Brooks said. "The investigation has been going on a long time, and we didn't anticipate any issues with Judge Canter continuing her interim appointment at least until getting to the next election. But because of the circumstances going on over here, the state started pushing to act quickly because it becomes a situation where you charge someone who is a judge versus someone who is not. The only way to remove a judge is the General Assembly has to do it by impeachment."Brooks added that when the Board of Judicial Conduct got involved with Stout following the revelations of his inappropriate conduct inside the courthouse, among other things, "the resolution they came up with did not forbid Stout to run for office again." "We felt it was our responsibility to do what we needed to do as quickly as possible," Brooks said.In a statement read to the court, Brooks mentioned that Stout's efforts to access money through his criminal activities were in part to fund his planned reelection campaign as general sessions judge later this year. "In fact, Stout wanted to use dirty money to become a judge again," Brooks said. "The idea that a judge would resort to such efforts is appalling."Brooks also stated, as of just days prior to Stout's court appearance, "We did not expect to be doing this today. I was preparing for a jury trial, but the way we structured his interview, he would end up confessing; that's at least to his credit. At least he manned up to what he has done."Visibly broken in appearance, Stout seemed almost disconnected from what was going on, staring at length at the audience that showed up to hear the proceedings but was very keen to ensure that his family was considered in connection with his plea deal. According to an affidavit, Stout's bond was originally set at $25,000, as was his wife Pamela Stout's, whose arrest shows a Feb. 14 court date for her.Since the Friday mourning ruling, Perry bounded out awaiting his sentencing in April, 2024.That affidavit, filed in Johnson County General Sessions Court, describes nearly two years' worth of Perry Stout helping fund drug buys and sharing in the profits. It also mentions a drug-dealing enterprise involving Gary Marshall of Mountain City that allegedly began in 2022 when Perry Stout allegedly gave Marshall a $1,500 "initial investment" to fund a marijuana buy.The affidavit mentions that during a conversation with a local law enforcement officer, Perry called himself a "Drug Kingpin or Drug Lord."The investigation also revealed that "Perry was knowledgeable of his criminal enterprise and took part in such," the affidavit states.Over much of the relevant period, the affidavit says, "It is important to point out that during this time, Perry Stout was a sitting and duly elected General Sessions Judge in Johnson County, Tennessee."The lengthy investigation of Perry was headed by Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks, for the First Judicial District, along with members of the First Judicial District Drug Task Force, Johnson County Sheriff's Office, and Mountain City Police Department, whose investigator made the arrest, investigators for the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.