Hamblen Co. ex-deputy convicted of sex abuse to be resentenced

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal appeals court has thrown out a 15-year sentence for a former Hamblen County deputy convicted of depriving two women of their constitutional rights by sexually abusing them during routine traffic stops.

In a ruling issued Thursday, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit did uphold the convictions against Dexter Morris, but sent the case back to district court because the judge didn’t apply the correct sentencing guideline range.

Prosecutors had appealed because they argued Morris should have faced a more severe sentencing range. According to court records, Morris was accused of raping a woman he pulled over in 2005 and forcing another woman to show her breasts under threat that she would face additional charges.