Christopher James Sacco pleaded no contest in Dixon County Criminal Court and was convicted on a felony count of possession of fentanyl. Judge David D. Wolfe accepted the plea and sentenced Sacco to eight years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections, with a furlough to a treatment program administered by the 23rd Judicial District recovery court as part of the negotiated agreement.

The plea agreement and recovery-court entry make treatment the first step before any probation is imposed. The judge explained the consequences: “You will not be on probation until you successfully completed your treatment program. So if you walk away from this treatment program, you're going straight to prison for 8 years,” Judge David D. Wolfe said in court.

The court record shows the recovery-court conditions in the written entry and oral advisement. Under the agreement, Sacco must report in person to the recovery court, is not eligible for IOT (in‑office reporting), and must forfeit seized property. Successful completion of the treatment program is required before transfer to supervised probation; the judge emphasized that termination from the recovery program would restore ordinary post‑plea rights and could result in imposition of the full eight‑year sentence.

Prosecutors summarized the facts the state would present at trial: Sacco was involved in a March 18, 2024, motor-vehicle incident in Dixon County in which a passenger died; hospital staff discovered a large quantity of fentanyl on Sacco that later tested positive. Sacco confirmed in court that he had been shown the charges and discussed the agreement with counsel and that his plea was voluntary.

The court signed a recovery-court entry order and a furlough to substance-abuse treatment as part of the sentence. The judge and counsel recorded that the treatment program and recovery court rules include a list of rights the defendant waives to participate (random testing, searches at the direction of the recovery team, immediate sanctions without a separate sentence hearing), and that the defendant acknowledged and waived those rights in open court.

The clerk will provide the written recovery-court entry and sentencing documents to Sacco and counsel; the court advised the defendant to remain in active contact with recovery-court staff and his attorney about enrollment and program rules.