Court date set for former Sheriff’s deputy charged in dog deaths

January 23, 2025

Ryan Hodges,

MCNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. — Connor James Brackin is the former McNairy County Sheriff’s Deputy who is facing 15 total felony charges for actions he allegedly committed while on duty.

SEE ALSO:

McNairy County deputy resigns following shooting incident involving homeowner’s dogs
Former sheriff’s deputy faces multiple charges after killing 7 dogs
Former deputy accused of shooting dogs was part of JPD internal investigation

According to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Brackin responded to an animal welfare call where he found eight dogs. He released one to the complainant, he then fired his service weapon, shooting and killing seven dogs.

We spoke with McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck back in November when this incident occurred. He told us that Brackin’s decision making was not in line with what the department believes should have been done.

We later learned that Brackin previously worked as an officer for the Jackson Police Department. While there, he became a principal subject of a shoot team investigation. After obtaining some of his records, we discovered that Brackin fired his service weapon on two separate occasions while working for JPD. One of which resulted in the loss of life.

The investigation with JPD resulted in Chief Thom Corley saying it is in the best interest of the community, the City of Jackson, and the Jackson Police Department to not retain Officer Brackin. He resigned the following day.

Six months later, he was charged with 15 felony counts for the actions he allegedly committed while working for the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office.

We have recently learned that the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission had an informal hearing regarding Brackin. Brackin was not in attendance. The board recommended that Brackin lose his Tennessee law enforcement certification.

deputy

We spoke with Kevin Walters on Wednesday, who is the Director of Communications for the Department of Commerce and Insurance. He told us Brackin has 30 days to appeal, but currently, cannot work in law enforcement in Tennessee. This, however, does not stop him from being hired in another state.

We have since reached out to McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck, asking questions such as if they aware of Brackin’s history prior to hiring him for the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office. Also, if so, were they able to obtain any of these records, or is there a way they could obtain these records. We are still awaiting a response.