A Knoxville man is convicted on 31 of 35 charges in connection with a plot to land a drone with contraband inside the Western Correctional Institution. A jury handed down the convictions on Friday against 25 year old Thaddeus Shortz. On August 22nd law enforcement officials found Shortz and 29 year old Keith Russell of Silver Spring parked near WCI and planned to use the drone to fly drugs, tobacco and pornography into the prison. Shortz and Russell are former inmates. Both men served sentences for assault.Shortz was released from WCI in April 2015, began making drops in May and admitted to six prior to August 22.
