The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday confirmed the state agency is investigating allegations of theft at Volunteer Energy Cooperative in Decatur, Tenn.
TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said via email Wednesday agents were probing allegations of a "theft of funds" at the request of 9th Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
"Our investigation is in its early stages and we have no additional information to provide at this time," DeVine said.
Johnson said via email Thursday the Decatur Police Department asked his office for help with an "embezzlement-type" theft case involving a former, now terminated, employee of the cooperative. In turn, the TBI was asked to assist Decatur authorities.
Johnson said the amount of money taken in the alleged theft has not been confirmed through an investigative or forensic audit but that he'd heard "large dollar amounts" were involved. He said he wouldn't be able to discuss many details "[i]f this becomes an officially predicated TBI investigation" that falls under confidentiality rules specific to the state agency.
Officials with Volunteer Energy Cooperative in Decatur declined comment on the investigation, though it was acknowledged.
The 80-year-old Volunteer Energy Cooperative is owned by its member customers and has a history going back to the 1930s, when the original electric power association that would become today's Volunteer Energy Cooperative was first formed in Meigs County, according to the cooperative's history posted on its website.
The utility has customers in Bledsoe, Bradley, Cumberland, Fentress, Hamilton, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott and White counties.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.