Steve Bebb

A state House investigative panel said today there is enough evidence against 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Bebb to try to remove him from office.

The special judicial oversight committee will recommend that House Speaker Beth Harwell appoint a separate committee to come up with specific charges warranting removal when the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January, said Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport.

"There were 15 items considered, and those will be provided to the charging committee" should Harwell choose to appoint one, said Shipley, chairman of the special investigative panel appointed during the session earlier this year.

Harwell, a Nashville Republican, could not be reached for comment. Bebb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A separate Senate committee also is considering evidence developed from a Time Free Press investigation published one year ago and a subsequent investigation ordered by Tennessee Attorney General Robert E. Cooper Jr. The four-month investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the state Comptroller's Office found that Bebb was a poor manager and record-keeper but did not find any prosecutable violations.

Shipley said the House panel agreed there were no currently prosecutable violations, but said there was a "texture" of misconduct and that the investigation is continuing.

"Our whole object is to make sure the people of the state of Tennessee get a fair shake in their legal system and that's exactly what this is about," he said.

See Thursday's Times Free Press for complete coverage.