KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Having heard no response from his boss, a Knox County Sheriff's Office captain is now turning to the Sheriff's Office Merit System Council for help challenging his demotion.
Sheriff Tom Spangler demoted Brad Hall from chief of detectives, to which he'd just been promoted in May, in August. Chief Deputy Bernie Lyon also sent the criminal investigations veteran to the juvenile division and suspended him without pay for two days.
Hall filed a grievance that was denied by Lyon. In September, he pushed the grievance up the chain to Spangler.
Hall's attorney Scott Lanzon, however, said Spangler has not replied.
"...I am appealing to you as there has been 16 calendar days since my appeal was filed and no response has been received," Hall's Oct 10 letter to the Merit System states.
The Merit System is independent of the Sheriff's Office. Its board reviews employee grievances, and the system office keeps employee performance records.
In April, while off duty, Hall got into a scuffle with longtime friend and KCSO Lt. Denny Scalf, an internal investigation found.
Scalf feared that Hall was too intoxicated to drive his department SUV. Hall's wife appealed to department spokeswoman Kimberly Glenn for help. The Halls and Glenn and her husband, Jerry, were friends at the time.
Glenn recorded her conversation with Hall's wife. Glenn's husband retrieved Hall and took him home. Glenn and Scalf drove Hall's vehicle to department headquarters at the City County Building.
No one at the time revealed what had happened that night. Hall was formally promoted days later.
Word of the scuffle leaked out, however, and senior department administrators began asking questions.
Hall and Scalf denied anything of substance had happened and said they'd only engaged in horseplay.
Administrators had their doubts.
Then in July Glenn wrote a memo explaining her version of what had happened that April night in the Old City. She expressed regret for not reporting it sooner.
Hall denied anything had happened of consequence. Investigators determined he couldn't remember much of the night's events.
Besides Hall's demotion back to captain, the department suspended Scalf for two days and reassigned him. Glenn got a written reprimand and her husband Jerry Glenn, a part-time fire investigator, got an oral reprimand.
Capt. David Amburn, who Glenn had turned to for help that night, also got an oral reprimand.
Spangler has declined to talk about the case other than issue this statement: "It's unfortunate this incident occurred. Once I learned of it, then I took the corrective actions necessary."
