Christopher Bearden
A Chattanooga man charged with selling heroin and possessing a gun though he was a felon at the time has been sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison.
Christopher Bearden, 32, appeared before Judge Curtis Collier.
Bearden will be on supervised release for three years after completing his sentence.
On Sept. 3, 2019, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Narcotics and Special Operations Unit executed a search warrant at 1425 Highcrest Dr. in Hixson. The search warrant stemmed from controlled purchases of heroin from the defendant at the residence.
Detectives detained Beardem and another individual in the back yard of the residence. There was a motorcycle at the rear also. Bearden was wearing a motorcycle jacket and a backpack.
Detectives searched the backpack and found approximately 10 grams of heroin (field weight), approximately four grams of methamphetamine (field weight), digital scales, plastic baggies with residue, $1,427.00 in cash, four stolen credit/debit cards, smoking/snorting straws, and spoons commonly used to melt heroin and methamphetamine.
Inside the defendant’s bedroom, detectives found a safe that contained digital scales, a scale weight, aluminum foil with burnt narcotics in a McDonalds bag, a glass bong-style smoking pipe, baby teething tablets (commonly used to cut heroin), and 37 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Bearden earlier was charged with burglary and theft over $10,000 after Chattanooga Police say he broke into his next-door neighbor's house and stole $28,000 worth of jewelry that had belonged to his neighbor's late wife, along with other valuables.
In the jewelry theft, Bearden pleaded guilty to two theft cases. He received a six-month sentence on one and a suspended three-year term on the other. For a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, he got a six-month sentence and a $150 fine.