Man faces life in prison

LISA HOBBS – News Editor

A local man has been charged with aggravated rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery.

Samuel Elijah Allen, 22, was in General Session Court on Tuesday before Judge Ryan J. Moore. He was arrested on Oct. 19 and is being held on a $250,000 bond at Warren County Jail.

The warrant alleges that he, on or about July 13, 2026, used his hand to penetrate the private area of an underage female. During that same timeframe, a second warrant alleges that he touched the upper area of her private area.   

While the victim’s age was not provided in the warrants, aggravated rape of a child is a violation of Tennessee Code Annotated 39-13-531. That statute states that the victim must be 8 years old or less.

Tennessee has one of the strictest punishments for adults convicted of aggravated rape of a child. The sentence must be either death or imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole. This is a mandatory penalty; there is no discretionary range under the statute for adult defendants.

Allen is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 17 before Judge Moore at 1 p.m. The Public Defender’s Office was appointed.