KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Morgan County man was sentenced to spend life in prison, plus an additional decade, after he was convicted of child sex crimes and trying to escape authorities.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Everett Eugene Miller Jr., 56, of Sunbright, was sentenced on May 11. They said Miller Jr. was convicted of child sex crimes as well as escape.
They said from July 2019 through January 2020, he was living with his wife and a minor. He was previously on the sex offender registry for sexual assaults against other children, according to the release, and bought the minor a secret cell phone. According to the release, he and the minor exchanged more than 2,090 messages.
They said Miller told the minor he would divorce his wife so they could get married. He took the minor on a long-haul trucking run from New Mexico from Dec. 29, 2019, through Jan. 2, 2020, according to the release. During the trip, they said he raped the minor.
They also said that on Aug. 14, 2020, while he was incarcerated and awaiting trial, he was taken to a hospital for a procedure and tried to escape.