MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A criminal case that began with an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has come to a close with the sentencing of a former guidance counselor from Siegel Middle School in Murfreesboro. Daniel Odell Gregory, 50, was sentenced earlier this year in Coffee County Circuit Court to four years in jail after pleading guilty to 11 counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Gregory will receive credit for time served beginning September 8, 2024, and his sentence is set to conclude on September 8, 2028.

The case against Gregory originated in October 2023 when agents from the TBI Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, working alongside deputies from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, arrested him after identifying him as the user of an online account that distributed child sexual abuse material. The investigation traced explicit material being shared through an internet website to Gregory, leading to his arrest and initial booking into the Coffee County Jail with a $950,000 bond.

At the time of his arrest, Gregory was employed as a guidance counselor at Siegel Middle School, part of the Rutherford County School System. School officials confirmed that he resigned from his position shortly after the investigation came to light. According to James Evans, the Chief Communications Officer for Rutherford County Schools, none of the charges involved any students within the school system.

Gregory had been employed by the district for 17 years, having joined the system on August 15, 2006. His 2023 resignation brought an abrupt end to what had previously been a lengthy career in education.

After an initial hearing in Coffee County General Sessions Court, the case was elevated to Circuit Court, where Gregory ultimately entered a guilty plea earlier this year (2025). The conviction marks a sobering end to the case that began as part of a larger state effort to combat internet crimes involving children.

Again, Gregory is currently serving his sentence in the Coffee County Jail, and no additional charges have been reported.