Mayor Kane (Glenn Jacobs, Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee) allegedly pressured a department head to lie to state officials about Jacobs\' Chief of Staff using a county golf cart for personal purposes.
That\'s according to Knox News, who wrote that \"Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs asked county employees to work at his home while they were on the clock, pressured a department head to lie to state investigators and cursed at him when he wouldn’t do it, according to a federal lawsuit the county settled by agreeing to pay $150,000 to former parks and recreation director Paul White.\"
The lawsuit alleged that Jacobs\' Chief of Staff, Bryan Hair, was using a county golf cart at his own home. Hair resigned from his position, but because of the allegations, the state of Tennessee began an investigation.
Kane Applied More Pressure Than a Sleeper Hold
The lawsuit details ways in which Jacobs and his team attempted to hide the misconduct from reporters, for fear of scandal.
That worked out well.
According to Knox News, the allegations include:
- Jacobs encouraged White, the Parks and Recreation director, to lie to state investigators about Hair\'s illegal personal use of a county-owned golf cart.
- Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler with an imposing build, pounded a desk and cursed at White when he refused to lie to cover for Hair after it was revealed he and his wife were using a county-owned golf cart that was delivered to their home.
- Hair eventually returned the golf cart to the county, but Hair planned to tell investigators he had given it up months earlier, White said. Hair pressured White to lie and say he had the golf cart for only a few weeks. White said Hair threatened to fire him if he didn\'t.
Abbey Harris, a spokesperson for Mayor Kane, stated that the Big Red Machine never pressured White to lie, but White says that he was fired for being a sort of whistle-blower regarding the golf cart misuse.
The county, however, maintains that White was fired because he \"created a hostile work environment in the parks and recreation department.
Kane Is \'Not Interested in the Truth\'
White maintains that he attempted multiple times to tell officials about Hair\'s use of the county-owned golf cart. When he eventually got an audience with The Devi\'s Favorite Demon, White alleges that Jacobs swore at him and slammed a desk in anger.
Mayor Kane and White met on October 12 for a one-on-one (not with Da Untertaker) meeting, in which Kane tried to \"hint\" to White what the latter should say.
According to Knox News, \"Jacobs pressured him by asking leading questions, White says.
\'Bryan (Hair) only had the golf cart for just a couple of weeks?\' Jacobs asked him, according to White.
White did not play along with what he characterized as a leading question.
“\' Jacobs became visibly angry and upset, his face turned bright red, and he violently smacked his desk with a closed fist, as he cut (White) off, told (White) to ‘shut the f--- up’ and Mayor Jacobs further stated that he was ‘not interested in the truth,’” White says.
White says Jacobs asked the leading questions two or three more times before stopping.\"
At least he didn\'t set him on fire.
Speaking of fire, White was fired soon after, while Hair resigned before he could be fired. Or tombstoned. Hair also pleaded guilty to \'Official Misconduct,\' which is a class E felony, punishable by, at minimum, one year in jail. Hair is applying for probation and judicial diversion, however.
To read the full story, check out Knox News.
