Suspect arrested in connection to death of Tennessee deputy who was found shot in her burning home

By Joe Sutton, Tina Burnside and Raja Razek, CNN

A man was taken into custody Monday in Tennessee in connection with the death of a Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy who was found shot inside her burning home a day earlier.

The man was identified as James Jackson Conn, who was arrested after an hourslong standoff with police who were attempting to serve a warrant at a home in Smyrna, just outside of Nashville. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation, did not provide any additional details regarding the arrest.

Conn, described by the TBI as an acquaintance of the deputy, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson, according to a TBI news release.

CNN has been unable to determine whether Conn has retained legal counsel.

The arrest comes a day after Deputy Savanna Puckett, 22, didn’t show up for work. Another deputy went to her residence in the city of Springfield and found her home ablaze, the agency said in a statement.

The deputy “attempted to make entry into the home” but was “unable due to the extent of the fire,” the statement said. After the fire department arrived and entered the home, Puckett was found shot and pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said.

She had been with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office for four years, a statement from the agency said.

“Words cannot express the sadness and grief that Savanna’s family and her Sheriff’s Office family are facing right now,” Sheriff Michael Van Dyke said. “This is a tragedy that we are processing minute by minute. Please keep Savanna, her family, and the Sheriff’s Office in your thoughts and prayers.”

Robertson County is north of Nashville, along the Tennessee-Kentucky border.

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