Paul Summers, former Tennessee attorney general, will lead the investigation of the 10th Judicial District.Paul Summers, a former Tennessee attorney general and appellate judge, has been named to lead the investigation into allegations of misconduct in the 10th Judicial District.
Wally Kirby, executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, said he asked Summers on Monday to serve as attorney general pro tem after 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Bebb requested one.
The investigation will examine information from a six-day series in the Chattanooga Times Free Press that alleged financial and professional misconduct by 10th District prosecutors; unchecked spending by the former chief of the district’s drug task force; and questionable procedures that allowed motorists’ cars and cash to be seized without their being charged with crimes.
Bebb has denied misconduct in his office, but he released a statement Monday asking for a pro tem to “investigate any allegations of impropriety in this office, either by myself or any employee.”
On Monday, Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper’s office also announced a joint investigation with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the state Comptroller’s Office.