Two Monroe County Sheriff’s Department employees have been indicted following a joint investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation into the unlawful use of inmate labor. According to state investigators, fleet manager Neal Alan Townsend and maintenance garage employee Jamey “Lee” Frank improperly used a trusty inmate, who was assigned to the department’s maintenance garage, to perform work at a privately owned watercraft repair business where both Frank and Townsend were also employed. Video footage captured the unsupervised inmate working on vehicles and equipment at the private business, as well as assisting with raising a sunken boat that was not government property.

The investigation also revealed that the inmate operated vehicles without supervision and used tobacco products while at the private business, and that Frank had failed to complete the inmate supervision training required by the Tennessee Corrections Institute. As a result of the findings, a Monroe County Grand Jury indicted Frank on April 1, 2026, and Townsend on May 6, 2026, with each facing one count of official misconduct and one count of unlawful use of inmates. In response to the indictments, Comptroller Jason Mumpower emphasized that sheriff’s departments must maintain clear procedures for inmate movement and supervision, alongside implementing documented processes for vehicle assignments and strict policy controls for physical keycard access.