The TBI says a new agent will take over the investigation into Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson.
Susan Niland, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville, said Agent Barry Carrier, who has been conducting the investigation, has resigned to take a job working for an East Tennessee district attorney.
Via email, Niland said Friday that supervisors will assign another case agent to the Watson probe and added, "This remains an active and ongoing investigation."
The TBI has said there is no time line for when the probe will be concluded.
Carrier was assigned in July after 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Crump asked in June for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of wrongdoing raised by Bradley County Commissioner Dan Rawls.
Among those were questions whether Watson's wife, Tenille Watson, receives favorable treatment as a bail bonding agent. Court records show Tenille Watson, who received her license in February 2016, consistently writes more bonds than long-established agents.
Rawls also questioned whether the Watsons, who are required to keep their finances separate because of her job, violated that rule when Tenille Watson signed the mortgage and deed on the couple's new home in April 2016.
Other allegations questioned Watson's use of taxpayer money; whether the sheriff used his influence to get a bond lowered so a woman with whom he had a personal relationship could get out of jail, and other problems.
Separately, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission in April issued a warning to Watson over a December Times Free Press report questioning whether he was selling cars without a license. The commission referred the case to the state Department of Revenue to ascertain whether Watson properly paid sales taxes on cars he bought in Miami and Washington, D.C., and sold in Bradley and Polk counties.
Watson has said he is cooperating with the investigation and has done nothing wrong.
Bradley County Commissioner Thomas Crye said he wants the probe completed as soon as possible.
"This is a distraction from the normal course of business," Crye said Friday. "This has been ongoing for approximately one year. The public and the sheriff, as chief law enforcement officer of the county, both deserve a resolution of this issue because shortly we are entering the next campaign season."
Watson will be up for re-election next year. Former sheriff Tim Gobble has said he's exploring a challenge to Watson in the May Republican primary, and others are said to be considering campaigns.
Contact staff writer Judy Walton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.