Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-GermantownSteve Bebb, district attorney for Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties, resigned today – two months before the end of his term and not a moment too soon. He faced multiple allegations of misusing his office and had been investigated by the TBI and by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I chair. His story shows the need for judicial reform in Tennessee.
Fortune Magazine recently ranked Tennessee third among U.S. states for public corruption. Having lived through the Tennessee Waltz scandal my first year in the Legislature, I believe it. Public corruption is a black eye on this state, and it is time to make serious changes to the law to address it.
Allegations of misconduct by Bebb were first raised in the Chattanooga Times Free Press newspaper in August 2012. They included threatening prosecution for coercive purposes, personal use of office vehicles and funds, and failure to prosecute law enforcement officers.
In March 2013 the Tennessee attorney general issued a report in which he declined to prosecute Bebb. The Senate Judiciary Committee immediately opened its own investigation of Bebb.
The only remedy available to the Legislature was removal from office, and the investigative resources of the Legislature are limited compared to those of the attorney general. In July 2013, I filed a complaint against Bebb with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, which has oversight of the ethical behavior of attorneys and a wide range of disciplinary remedies.