Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable James Thomas was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity while raiding a still near the Jefferson County - Cocke County line.
He had accompanied the county sheriff, a deputy, and another constable to the location at approximately 5:00 am. After hiking a half mile to the area the four split up to approach the still from different sides. As they arrived at the still Constable Thomas and the sheriff were fired upon by a group of federal agents from the Internal Revenue Service Alcohol Tax Unit who had the site under surveillance.
The sheriff and Constable Thomas were both struck by the gunfire, as was the other constable who ran to their aid.
All four federal agents involved in the incident were charged with murder.
Constable Thomas had served as an elected constable for 12 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-E3ABCDE6- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Constable Thomas gave the Jefferson County Constable's Office 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dandridge community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Thomas.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable James Lee Thomas is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Lee Thomas's cause is highlighted.
How James Lee Thomas Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Lee Thomas is highlighted in Apr.