KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Eight of the 11 current and former Knox County Sheriff's Office employees named in an indictment alleging the misuse of county resources turned themselves in and were booked into jail on Thursday. Former Sheriff J.J. Jones, Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn, and former narcotics supervisor David Henderson had not turned themselves in by the time of publication.

A redacted indictment was released on Friday. The indictment alleges a long-running conspiracy involving the misuse of county resources and theft connected to the sheriff's office narcotics and special investigations units, with conduct spanning from roughly 2010 through 2018.

According to court records, investigators allege that sheriff's office employees installed flooring and built a Halloween display for former Captain Aaron Yarnell. Court records also allege that some employees built a gazebo for retired Captain John Hopkins and used sheriff's office equipment to assist with moving belongings connected to civilian Mike Kidd, who was also indicted.

The indictment alleges that credit card and seized cash funds for the narcotics unit were used to buy tools, vehicle parts, Apple products, hunting equipment, and construction materials for the personal benefit of indicted individuals and some unnamed co-conspirators. Court records allege that employees used on-duty time and county equipment for projects including home renovations, vehicle work, a duck blind, a Halloween display, and work at properties connected to some of those named in the indictment.

The FBI investigated the sheriff's office narcotics division several years ago and ultimately brought federal charges only against Henderson, who pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit fraud. Prosecutors charged higher-level felonies carrying longer statutes of limitations, potentially allowing them to pursue allegations stretching back to 2011.

Knoxville defense attorney Marcos Garza said the timing of the state case stands out because the allegations resurfaced years after the federal investigation reviewed many of the same claims. "It is kind of rare to see something in a conspiracy like this come out seven, eight, nine, ten years later," Garza said. "The federal government seven years ago said we don't have enough, or we're not going to indict anybody other than David Henderson at that time."

Garza described the legal threshold tied to the conspiracy charge and the dollar amount at stake. "If you even do one action that promotes the overall illegal outcome, then you're responsible for the entire thing," he said. "If they can't prove $250,000, they lose jurisdiction over anything that is older than eight years old."

The complexity of the case, involving 11 defendants and extensive evidence review, could mean proceedings continue for years. "I think East Tennessee will be living with this case for probably the next two to four years," he said. "There are no winners here because to some degree the damage has already been done."