A federal judge has sentenced Chapell Dain Cissell, 31, to ten years in federal prison for possession of multiple firearms and a significant amount of ammunition. This was announced by Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
The court heard that in March 2021, deputies from the Weakley County Sheriff's Department responded to an assault report at Fast Eddie's Bar in Dresden, Tennessee. Upon arrival, the deputies learned from victims that Cissell drove into the bar's parking lot in a black SUV, wearing a bulletproof vest and holding an assault rifle. He allegedly threatened the victims and left the scene.
Cissell was later found by deputies wearing a ballistic vest in a pickup truck at his residence. A revolver was reportedly visible from the vest. Three firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were discovered on him or in his vehicle. Cissell admitted to having more firearms in his house, where authorities found three more firearms and over two thousand rounds of various caliber ammunition.
On April 11, 2025, United States District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Cissell to the maximum term of 120 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Cissell plead guilty to six counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As per federal law, parole is not an option in these cases.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Weakley County Sheriff's Department. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Davis led the prosecution for the government.
For further details, the public is invited to contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov or follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook and X at @WDTNNews.