Howard Thompson has vacated his Bradley County Commission seat.CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Former Bradley County Commissioner Howard Thompson, who resigned Monday, late this afternoon pleaded guilty in criminal court to attempted theft.
Judge Carroll Ross sentenced Thompson to two years in prison, then suspended the sentence and placed him on probation for that period. The judge dismissed a second count of making a false report.
"You were held in a position of high trust in the community, and you betrayed that trust," Ross told Thompson, who had been a commissioner for 17 years and represented the county's 4th District.
Thompson faced the charges relating to the purchase of stolen items at his U.S. Highway 64 flea market in December 2010.
For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.