Adam Kenneth Sherrell. Photo courtesy Blount County District Attorney's office

Adam Kenneth Sherrell, 44, of Hayden, appeared in the Blount County Circuit Court Wednesday, June 25, for sentencing following his April 2025 conviction on multiple child sex crimes. Sherrell’s sentencing hearing was scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 24, but, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s office, Sherrell passed out in the court room and was taken back to the jail.

Circuit Court Judge Greg Reid sentenced Sherrell to the maximum allowed under the law for the charges: 10 years on one count of enticing a child into a place to perform or propose a sex act, sexual abuse in the first degree and child abuse. He was sentenced the maximum for the misdemeanors: one year on one count of sexual abuse in the second degree, four counts of indecent exposure and six months on one count of stalking. The State asked for the sentence to be run consecutive, but the court ordered it to be run concurrently.

On April 9, 2025, a Blount County jury returned a verdict finding Sherrell guilty of nine counts of a 10-count indictment.

During the trial, District Attorney Pamela Casey presented evidence that Sherrell:

— lured a child into his bedroom for the purpose of engaging in sexual contact with the child.

— subjected a child to sexual contact by forcible compulsion.

— subjected a child between the ages of 12 and 16 to sexual contact.

— exposed his genitals to another person on at least four occasions with intent to satisfy his sexual desire under circumstances he knew was likely to cause alarm.

— caused emotional harm to a child by means of abuse.

— continued to follow and harass a child by masturbating in the child’s presence after being told to stop.

“The hardest cases I work are those cases where children are harmed by those who are supposed to love and care for them,” Casey said in a press release. “Many times, in these cases, the greatest betrayal comes from those who are the closest to the children. I commend the jury in this case for listening to the evidence, the judge for considering that evidence when sentencing and law enforcement for working with our office and local agencies to investigate and fight child abuse.”

This case was investigated by Sergeant Ed Hull with the Blount County Sheriff’s Department with services provided by the Department of Human Resources and the Blount County Children’s Center.