Former Haywood County Mayor Investigated by Comptroller’s Office
Former Mayor Tried to Conceal His Wife’s Role in an Auto Accident
A former Haywood County Mayor filed a false accident claim after his wife was involved in an auto accident in May 2018 while driving a county-owned vehicle.
An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office revealed the mayor reported the accident to the county’s insurance provider stating that he was driving the vehicle. At the time of the accident, the mayor’s wife’s driver’s license had been suspended due to numerous traffic citations.
The cost to repair the vehicle totaled $4,024.47. The insurance provider paid $3,524.47, and Haywood County paid the $500 insurance deductible to a local body shop.
Investigators also identified other instances when the former county mayor allowed his wife to use his assigned county-owned vehicle for her personal use. This included a traffic stop on July 24, 2018, when the Jackson Police Department issued the former mayor’s wife a traffic citation for driving on a suspended license and the failure to maintain a single lane.
“As part of our investigation, we learned that Haywood County did not have an official vehicle use policy,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson. “I recommend that county officials develop a policy to provide guidance and require that county vehicles should only be used for official business.”
To view the investigative report, go to: https://comptroller.tn.gov/office-functions/investigations/find.html
If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at 800.232.5454, or file a report online at: tncot.cc/fraud. Follow us on twitter: @TNCOT
Media contact: John Dunn, Director of Communications, 615.401.7755 or john.dunn@cot.tn.gov
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