Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson's actions in selling used cars seem to run counter to state law. We say "seem" because he didn't respond to emails or texts about a Times Free Press investigation into the practice that ran in Sunday's edition.
If Watson has a dealer's license, which is required by law for anyone selling more than five cars in a year, he should produce it. (The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance says he doesn't have one.) If he has registered the cars and paid sales tax on them, which he doesn't appear to have done on many of the cars he purchased at auctions, he should be forthcoming with the proof.
The Bradley County sheriff should be as direct as President Richard Nixon was in answering questions with Associated Press managing editors as details surrounding the Watergate break-in were unfolding in November 1973.
"People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook," he said. "Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got."
Bradley County residents deserve such candor from their sheriff, and more truth than what Nixon was then offering.
What is additionally troubling about Watson beside the car sales, registrations and sales tax, though, are allegations a Bradley County Sheriff's Office employee was given overtime pay to accompany Watson to Washington, D.C., to purchase cars, and that the document detailing the employee's pay was doctored to remove the overtime designation.
Multiple sources told the newspaper's Judy Walton that at least two corrections employees have spoken about the incident to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which has been looking into matters involving the office since June.
Watson has a sales license, issued Sept. 16 and in association with Best Buy Auto & Leasing in Cleveland, but not a dealer's license that allows him to sell cars online or on the side of the road, where some of them have been parked in several area counties.
The Bradley County sheriff previously had bought used cars at auctions for employees throughout various divisions of the department to use in their work. The sheriff had said the practice of seeking out bargains for such vehicles saved taxpayer dollars.
If Watson, who is a former four-term state legislator, is peddling used cars as a side business to his work as sheriff, county residents deserve to know he is legitimately and legally able to do so. Not answering questions about the practice and not producing the proper documentation only invites further speculation. He can nip the speculation quickly: Show the paperwork.
We want to believe that our elected officials are trustworthy. We hope the Bradley County sheriff will prove to his constituents he still deserves that trust.
Timeline
' October 2011: Watson, then a BCSO captain, resigns in lieu of termination after an investigation finds he improperly accounted for time away from work while serving in the state Legislature. His termination notice included a note from then-Chief Deputy Wayne Bird: "Not to be rehired - veracity/integrity." ' August 2014: Watson elected sheriff, takes office Sept. 1. ' November 2014: Watson and his wife, Tenille, spend a weekend in Washington, D.C., on a car-buying trip for BCSO. Watson later reimburses county for his wife's plane ticket. ' March 2015: The Watsons, along with corrections Sgt. Tim Robinson and his wife, spend a weekend in Hilton Head, S.C., on a car-buying trip for BCSO to Port Royal, S.C., 35 miles away. ' August 2015: Watson spends a weekend in Orlando, Fla., with top aide Richard McAllister and McAllisters' wife on a car-buying trip to Lake Mary, Fla., 20 miles away. Sources said Tenille Watson was there, though no records show any of her expenses were charged to the county. ' September 2015: Watson and McAllister fly to Las Vegas for a four-day violent crimes conference, arriving two days early and racking up nearly $600 in extra hotel charges. Sources said the wives were along, though their airfare and meal expenses were not charged to the county. A Ford Explorer, rented for $441, was returned with 854 new miles on the odometer, and Watson said they had done "some old- fashioned sightseeing." ' February 2016: Bradley County commissioners discover the BCSO sold the county's $130,000 surveillance van, packed with electronics, to a Nashville bail bondsman for $20,000. They begin questioning other BCSO disposals and eventually revise the county's asset-disposal policy. ' March 2016: Watson takes his wife, a bail bondsman, to a DUI roadblock in his county vehicle. It later was found she wrote more bail bonds than all of the nine other agents who wrote bonds for people arrested that weekend. Watson claimed the couple's dinner out was interrupted by a BCSO pursuit and he had to bring her along, but radio and dispatch records later showed he was among the first at the roadblock site and she was with him from the beginning. ' April 2016: Watson responds to conflict-of-interest questions about his wife's job by saying the couple keep their finances completely separate. However, both names are on the deed of the $460,000 house they bought in April and its $360,000 mortgage. And a document purporting to be the registration for the Nissan Armada she drives shows the vehicle registered in his name. ' May 2016: Watson holds campaign fundraising luncheon attended by some public employees in uniform and driving official cars and where the luncheon speaker, state Homeland Security Director David Purkey, specifically praised Watson's service as an elected official. Both appear to violate Tennessee law restricting political activities by on-duty public employees. ' May 2016: American Atheists Inc. and local resident sue Watson and Bradley County, alleging he proselytized for Christianity on the official BCSO Facebook page and censored opposing comments. County settles suit for $41,000 and changes the Facebook page. ' June 2016: A complaint Watson pulled strings to a get a woman with whom he appeared to have a personal relationship out of jail led the local district attorney to call for a special prosecutor. Jimmy Dunn, district attorney general in the 4th Judicial District, is named to lead investigation by the FBI and TBI, which is ongoing. Sources: Bradley County records, newspaper archives, interviews.
WATSON’S CARS
These are the cars Eric Watson bought in August from Miami and Washington, D.C. The Tennessee Department of Revenue provided information on which cars were registered in Tennessee as of Nov. 30. It’s not known if any of the cars were sold outside the state.› 2002 Dodge Stratus, VIN 1B3EL36X42N278250. Registered 10/27/16 in Bradley County› 2002 Dodge Stratus, VIN 1B3EL36X12N306487. Registered 9/24/16 in Hamilton County› 2005 Chevrolet Impala, VIN 2G1WF55K85938758. Not registered› 2001 Chevy Blazer, VIN 1GNDT13W51K248109. Registered 10/04/16 in Bradley County› 2005 Ford Taurus, VIN 1FAFP53U95A196710. Registered in Bradley county› 2005 Impala, VIN 2G1WF55E559359473. Registered in Shelby county› 2002 Ford Crown Victoria, VIN 2FAFP71W82X127851. Not registered› 2004 Dodge Intrepid, VIN 2B3HD46R04H625585. Registered 11/18/16 in Bradley County› 2004 Intrepid, VIN 2B3HD46R04H610410. Not registered› 2003 Crown Vic, VIN 2FAFP71W63X202368. Registered 10/12/16 in Polk County› 2001 Taurus, VIN 1FAFP52241A238100. Registered in Shelby county› 1999 Crown Vic, VIN 2FAFP71W3XX183218. Registered 11/14/16 in Hamilton County› 2003 Crown Vic, VIN 2FAFP71W93X109375. Registered 9/30/16in Blount County› 2000 Saturn, VIN 1G8JU52F4YY690110. Registered 10/4/16 in Monroe County› 2002 Nissan Maxima, VIN JN1DA31D02T409959. Not registered› 2002 Volvo S60, VIN YV1RS58D322103873. Not registered› 2003 Kia Sedona LX, VIN KNDUP131236485671. Not registered› 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette, VIN 1GHDX13EXYD318510Source: GovDeals.com, Miami-Dade County government, D.C. municipal government, Tennessee Department of Revenue