May 22, 2012
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A Newport man was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to credit card fraud and firearms charges in August, the Dept. of Justice stated on Tuesday. In addition to spending the next 130 months behind bars, Billy Chad Reese, 39, will have to serve five years of supervised release and repay more than $23,000.
Reese had previously admitted to breaking into cars parked at Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Pisgah National Forest along with his wife, Christy Leann Reese, and Jessica Hope Daniels to steal debit and credit cards and other merchandise. They would then use the cards in Cocke Co.
The charges stemmed from reports of thefts of personal property filed by visitors to the Park and Forest between May 2010 and January 2011.
The Reeses were captured after the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service agents as well as Cocke Co. Sheriff's Deputies executed a search warrant at their Bybee home in March. There, officials found items reported stolen during the vehicle break-ins.
Authorities also recovered a .22 caliber revolver in a bedroom dresser. The Dept. of Justice pointed out that, due to previous convictions for Aggravated Battery, Reese was not allowed to possess the weapon.
