July 4th Fireworks Crash: Sovereign Citizen In Tennessee Gets 12 Years In Prison

OAK RIDGE, TN — A self-proclaimed sovereign citizen who drove through a crowd during a fireworks show, killing one and hurting eight, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

News outlets report Judge Paul Summers sentenced 67-year-old Lee Harold Cromwell of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to one year more than the prosecutor sought Monday, citing Cromwell's use of $137.5 million in liens on the personal property of people involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Summers said that Cromwell showed little remorse and seemed more concerned about his truck than the death of 38-year-old James Robinson. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Cromwell was convicted of reckless vehicular homicide and reckless aggravated assault in the July 4, 2015 crash in February.

Sovereign citizens typically reject U.S. citizenship and don't recognize government authority, like laws and taxes.

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