A former Knox County Trustee's Office employee, Jason Dobbins, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of official misconduct. The charges, as detailed by court records obtained by WVLT News, allege misuse of taxpayer dollars in the office tasked with collecting property taxes and handling county funds. Dobbins, along with Knox County Property Assessor William Phillip Ballard, faces allegations connected to financial improprieties, while Trustee Justin Biggs has managed to avoid indictment.
Following a tip to the county's fraud, waste, and abuse hotline in November 2024, internal audits led to two investigative reports that prompted the Comptroller of the Treasury to launch an independent investigation. Dobbins, who had been the operations director since September 2022, was terminated this April over violations of policy, the specific nature of which was not disclosed in a notice reported by 6 News. Working with his attorney, Dobbins turned himself in and vows to contest the charges fiercely.
After being processed and released on $5,000 bond, Dobbins's attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, made a statement that was later echoed by his client, obtained by WBIR, "Jason Dobbins is a loving husband and father, small business owner, and Knoxville native. He has long been involved in, and contributed positively to, our community. The charges are one-sided allegations only, and Mr. Dobbins is presumed innocent. He will plead not guilty."
Emerging from the investigations, allegations suggest Trustee office staff, including Dobbins, engaged in improper use of county-leased vehicles, such as six Chevy Silverados that were taken out of state without the necessary permission. The misuse persisted despite GPS tracking being installed to monitor the vehicles' movements as part of the county's preannounced effort to ensure appropriate use. While no charges have been filed regarding the vehicle misuse, the investigations into expenses and "overarching control deficiencies" have yet to conclude, according to WBIR. The charges against Dobbins and Ballard have brought scrutiny to the Trustee's Office, which acts independently as the county's banker.
