By Charlotte Underwood   

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – The Campbell County man arrested by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in connection with the stabbing death of Donnie Bryant has a long record of arrests, according to law enforcement officials.

Billy Jay Randolph’s last known local address was on Rose Hill in October 2019.

Billy Jay Randolph, 48, was arrested in Dayton, Ohio, by the TBI over the weekend for charges related to Bryant’s death. Bryant’s body was found on Nov. 17 down an embankment on Cedar Creek Road. He had sustained multiple stab wounds, according to one WLAF source. Bryant, 43, was from Williamsburg, Ky.

According to Campbell County arrest records and jail intake records, Randolph had a lengthy record locally. His last known residence in the area as of October 2019 was a Rose Hill address in LaFollette.

In Campbell County, Randolph was charged 21 times in a three year period from 2015 through 2017. Arrests included multiple violation of probation charges, as well as drug paraphernalia and drug charges, many public intoxication charges and several resisting arrest charges. Randolph also was charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated assault by domestic violence and theft of property $2,500 to $9,999.

He served a 183 day jail sentence in 2016 in connection with the aggravated burglary and theft charges. In 2017, he served 61 days in jail for aggravated assault by domestic violence and driving on a revoked license, which violated his probation. Randolph then served 101 days in jail in June 2017 on another violation of probation charge. He was arrested four days after that on public intoxication and served another four days in jail. In November 2017, Randolph was arrested on a violation of probation and a capias bench warrant charge. This time he served 681 days in jail and was not released until Oct. 9 2019. 

Several of Bryant’s family members said they had no knowledge if Bryant and Randolph knew one another or what their connection could be.

Donnie Bryant

Bryant’s father Donnie Rainwater said he and other family members just want answers and to “see justice served.”

Rainwater said he had not seen his son in several years and he did not know of any connection between Bryant and Randolph. 

“He was a roughhouser, but a good person. He would do anything for anyone; give them the shirt off his back,” Rainwater said.

He said he worried Donnie had gotten in with the “wrong crowd.”   

Donnie was always gullible; you could talk him into doing about anything, but he didn’t deserve to die the way he did,” Rainwater said of his son. 

Officials have not released any other information regarding the arrest of Randolph or what led them to Ohio.   

According to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department, Randolph will be booked and prosecuted here. He will be extradited back to Campbell County to stand trial. As of Sunday evening, that transport had not occurred.

According to officials, someone from the sheriff’s department will travel to Ohio to bring Randolph to Campbell County most likely early this week. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/07/2020-6AM)

One Reply to “Murder suspect had long local arrest record”

  1. Billy Randolph is my brother. It seems he is already condemned. The people will read this article and judge him by his past. I know my brother has problems but you dont know the facts of the case
    He deserves a fair trial. The trial needs to be moved to a different location. Because of your article.

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