McCroskey, top aide to each get $10,000 in unused sick leave pay

Joy McCroskey

Former Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey will receive $10,000 from the county for unused sick leave she accrued before taking office more than five years ago.

The payment stems from a county policy that took effect in July 2013. So far, 26 employees have been paid a combined $148,850.

McCroskey opted not to seek re-election. Her last day was Aug. 29.

In addition, her chief deputy, Janice Norman, whose last day on the job also was Aug. 29, will get $10,000.

Two other retiring deputy clerks – Judy Yardley and Janice Short – also will receive $1,700 and $567, respectively, under the policy.

County Mayor Tim Burchett and newly sworn-in Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond are not happy about it. Burchett says it's possible officials might revisit the policy, and Hammond says the money will come out of his budget, which means, he'll have to cut something.

The complete story RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Six terminated from Knox criminal court clerk's office, four retired

Here’s a list of the employees new Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond let go, their title, start date, and salary:

• Sonja Anderson, deputy clerk, June 2006, $33,200
• Deborah Wilson, deputy clerk, February 2006, $32,400
• Douglas Hagaman, deputy clerk, May 2009, $33,800
• James DeFord, deputy clerk, May 1993, $46,000
• Jessica Jeffrey, deputy clerk, November 2013, $34,100
• Lisa Norton, deputy clerk, July 2013, $72,400

Hammond listed “restructuring of department” as reason for terminating them.

In addition, the following retired (includes title, start date and salary):
 

• Joy McCroskey, criminal court clerk, June 1967, $129,200
• Janice Norman, deputy clerk, October 1968, $110,000
• Janice Short, deputy clerk, May 2001, $43,700
• Judy Yardley, deputy clerk, May 2006, $39,400

As I recall, Norman, who was tight with McCroskey, announced her retirement back when Joy was handing out all that bonus money.

Anyhoo, Hammond said he’s hired six new folks, but the county’s HR department doesn’t have the paperwork yet.

Knox justice system audit released

Knox County conducted an internal audit into the embattled criminal court clerk's office.

The clerk's office has been the focus of several problems in the last year. A WBIR 10News investigation revealed a myriad of mistakes and incorrect paperwork that led to the wrongful arrests of dozens of people.

The audit found that Knox County needed to improve their record keeping, training, internal processes, and accuracy.

The audit included responses from the five departments involved, including the troubled office of the criminal court clerk and Joy McCroskey. The center of that 10News investigation.

In her response she wrote "I don't know how much I can accomplish with only two weeks until retirement, but hopefully my successor will continue to move these offices forward."

In two weeks time criminal court clerk elect Mike Hammond will be in Joy's shoes.

"When I started finding out that people were being wrongfully arrested, I started hearing about issues in the office. And the more I have delve into it, the more issues I have come across. So that's why I ran. To fix it. I went to the public and said give me a chance. They gave me that chance and we're going to fix it," said Hammond.

Entire audit RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Check out the rest of this story RIGHT HERE.

Hammond revamping Criminal Court Clerk's Office, holding interviews

In just a couple of weeks, embattled Knox County criminal court clerk Joy McCroskey's term in office will expire. The man elected to replace her is already in the process of making changes.

Mike Hammond takes over as the new court clerk on September 2. Hammond made all of the 80 employees at the clerk's office reapply for their jobs.

"We did the interviews last week and it was great to get all of the employees' feedback and opinions on what problems exist at the office and hear their ideas on how to fix things," said Hammond. "Because they're the ones on the front lines. They've given me a lot of great suggestions on things they would like to see done to improve the office."

The clerk's office has been the focus of several problems in the last year. A WBIR 10News investigation revealed a myriad of mistakes and incorrect paperwork that led to the wrongful arrests of dozens of people.


McCroskey came under intense scrutiny and announced in February that she would not seek reelection. Hammond won the primary race in May and was uncontested in the August general election.

Shortly after Hammond was elected in the May primary, McCroskey gave more than $180,000 in raises to employees at the clerk's office. Hammond says those raises will end when he takes office.

"I have told them [the employees] that we'll have to rescind the raises. Right now, as of September 2, your salary is going to go back to where it was before the raise. They understand that. Everyone would like more money, but I showed them the budget and we simply do not have the money now to absorb $187,000 in raises with all of the other things that need to happen. There may be a time when we can give raises in the future, but not at this moment."

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Another gone from Criminal Court Clerk's Office due to mistakes

Well, another day in the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office and another mistake that leads to someone getting screwed.

Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey on Monday fired Genie Owens after she failed to complete the proper paperwork that resulted in one Knox County inmates being kept in jail for about five days longer than needed to be, from what I'm being told.

(Owens faced some problems back in January 2012 when she was suspended without pay for a week. She was hired in January 2006 and earned $32,000 annually.)

In addition, two folks were picked up when they shouldn't have been, although those problems are not related to Owens.

One lady was in court in March, but the clerk never set the attachment aside, so she was picked up in early May when she shouldn't have been.

Another got an attachment (kind of like a warrant) was issued for a guy for failure to appear in court on a suspended license charge when he in fact was there.

“It just points out all the issues that are wrong in the office and we just have to get them fixed,” said incoming Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond. “I can’t wait to get in there on Sept. 2 and start fixing them.”

At this point, we’ve relegated to reporting these incidents on the ol’ blog. Heh.

I’m sure there will be something else before September.

McCroskey hands out $181K in raises; Hammond says he'll roll them back

Joy McCroskey

So, uh, if you had any questions about her ethics before, they should be removed. With a big middle finger to the good folks in the county, Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey gave out a whole bunch of raises.

Now, I’m not against people making a few extra bucks, but let’s not kid ourselves about the motive behind this.

Anyhoo, we had a story about the increases RIGHT SMACK HERE.

I talked to incoming clerk Mike Hammond this morning (we also quoted him last night) and he said that he has spoken with the Law Department, and that the employees – 70 of them – who received raises will continue to get them until he takes office on Sept. 2.

At that point, he’s rolling them back.

“I don’t mind being the bad guy,” he said.

Hammond added that all the employees also will have to reapply for their jobs “at a certain salary rate,” although he expects that most people will keep their jobs.

Hammond, McCroskey hold short meet

Mike Hammond

Mike Hammond, who will take over the criminal court clerk’s office in early September, met with current clerk Joy McCroskey today, he verified.

The two talked for about five to 10 minutes in her office.

He said he wasn’t sure what to expect going in but “she was very nice and very supporting.”

Hammond said that he recently reached out to some employees, asking to meet with them. Word got back to McCroskey and she wanted to have a sit down first. (No, he’s not bringing her on board.)

“She was very supportive and helpful and nothing negative was said,” Hammond added. “It was very anticlimactic.”

He said McCroskey gave him the go-ahead to meet with the employees, which he expects to do next week. Hammond said he’ll more than likely meet with all of them at the same time.

“It’s really just a general meeting to say ‘hello.’ Obviously, I can’t do anything or set policy at this point, so it’s more to introduce myself,” he said.

Hammond defeated two opponents in last week’s Republican Primary. He doesn’t face an opponent in the August general election. He’ll take office on Sept. 2.

Hammond talks criminal ct clerk's office, appoints new deputy chief

Mike Hammond

Incoming Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond on Monday announced a number of initiatives geared toward “moving the department into the 21 century” and appointed long-time chief of magistrates Richard Major to serve as his top staffer.

Hammond, who defeated two other Republican candidates in last Tuesday’s primary and doesn’t face opposition in August, will take over an office embattled in controversy on Sept. 2.

In the meantime, Hammond said he will visit similar operations across the state and meet with the county judges in the upcoming weeks in order to make the office “the prototype for the state of Tennessee.”

“I wanted change and I promised to move as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that “many of the people (in the office) are still using pencil and paper.”

Hammond said he’ll work with the county mayor’s office and the county’s information technology department to create a “comprehensive” and interactive website that allows the community to easily access information and pay fines and fees online.

He also wants to cross-train employees and create written procedures for the department.

“We’ll be looking at what we need to do to upgrade technology in our offices and the court room,” Hammond said. “We’ll look at real-time data . . . and look at getting new computer software.”

Richard Major

Current Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey, who took over in mid-2008, opted not to seek re-election after a WBIR 10News investigation revealed that a short supply of technology and training inside her office created a series of problems that led to wrongful arrests, cases set aside due to errors and residents temporarily losing their right to vote.

McCroskey, whose office is the official record keeper for Criminal Court, General Session Court, and Fourth Circuit Court, denied much of the allegations.

Hammond said he also wants to meet with staffers and will “give them all a chance” to stay on board.

He said he also will rely on Major’s expertise to help him implement his plans.

“He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position,” Hammond said. “As we move forward between now and then Richard will be very involved with me.”

Major will replace current chief deputy Janice Norman who will retire at the end of August. Hammond declined to say how much he’ll earn, although the two have discussed a salary range. Norman currently makes $110,000 annually.

Major was appointed to the magistrate’s office in 2006 and took over as supervisor of the general sessions court magistrates in 2009. He earned political science and law degrees from the University of Tennessee.

Major on Monday said that he currently manages five attorneys and a number of clerks. His office, he said, is responsible for generating warrants and paperwork for the general sessions court.

The Knox County Commission will appoint his replacement in the coming months.

Hammond said hiring Major should send “a strong signal that we’re going to bring in top notch people.”

You can read the entire story, RIGHT HERE.

Another candidate faces legal action

Jason Hunnicutt

Another Knox County candidate who is running for the criminal court clerk’s seat is facing civil action.

Records show that a summons has been issued for Jason Hunnicutt, a prosecutor who works in the county’s District Attorney General’s Office. The action was brought by the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, which says he owes the operation $486.64 and another $162 in court costs.

Hunnicutt faces Knox County Commissioner Mike Hammond and local attorney Steve Williams in the Republican primary. Incumbent Joy McCroskey opted not to seek re-election. No Democrats filed to run, so whoever wins on May 6 will begin serving a four-year term at the beginning of September.

On Friday, Hunnicutt told 10News that “all my bills are paid.” When asked why the hospital would seek money from him, he said that in the past he had disputed a bill regarding emergency room services “because of the deductible, but it’s been paid.”

His court date is set for May 7.

Earlier this month, WBIR 10News first reported that the federal government has levied tax liens against at least two judicial Knox County candidates and a civil judgment was issued against a third.

Records show that one of Hunnicutt’s opponents, Steve Williams, owes a combined $24,562.89 in taxes from 2003-05. Records show that Williams didn't pay federal unemployment taxes for his business, individual income taxes and he faced penalties for failing to file the correct information.

Williams said he's paying off the tax debt and he owed about $16,000 at this point.

He said his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, and that the medicine she needed was expensive.

Also, Blount County's Tennessee Endoscopy Center in May 2013 received a judgment against him for $2,368.58.

A civil judgment also was issued against Clarence "Eddie" Pridemore, a Republican attorney who will face Daryl Fansler, a Democrat and incumbent for the Chancellor, Part II seat in the August general election.

GE Monday Bank in May 2011 received a judgment against Pridemore for a Lowe's credit card debt totaling $3,709.66.

Further, records show that Patti Jane Lay, a Republican seeking the circuit court judge Div. IV seat, owes a combined $58,069.11 in individual income taxes from 2000 through 2003. The federal lien was filed against her four years ago, according to records in the Knox County Register of Deeds Office.

One lien is against her and husband, John Baugh, for $46,700. The other is against her for $11,300.

Lay called the liens "a clerical mistake" that "involves a partnership return prepared and filed by someone else that contains other individual's tax information."

18 workers get $143K in sick leave, now McCroskey wants in on the fun

Embattled Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey is seeking as much as $10,000 from the county for unused sick leave she accrued before taking office more than five years ago.

The request stems from a county policy that took effect last July. So far, 18 employees have been paid a combined $143,140.

Another four workers, including McCroskey and her chief deputy, Janice Norman, have submitted payment requests. Norman, who joined the county in 1968, said her last day is Aug. 29, and McCroskey is leaving Aug. 31.

County leaders, however, say the neither should be eligible, based on the ordinance that established the policy to pay for unused sick leave. Some officials also took McCroskey to task, saying her attendance in recent years is already suspect at best.

The ordinance was approved by the Knox County Commission last spring. At the time, its sponsors, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Commissioner Amy Broyles said they created it to increase productivity and reward long-tenured workers.

For the complete story, right smack here.

Hammond to focus on delinquent dues

Mike Hammond

Knox County Criminal Court candidate Mike Hammond says if elected he will focus on strengthening the collections unit in the department. He says – quoting a Paywall Paper report – that there is some $158 million in uncollected court costs and fines (although no one really knows how far back that goes).

“Unpaid court costs and fines are like a bad loan to the people of Knox County,” Hammond said.  “The ones who are benefiting are the scofflaws.  The taxpayers who pay the bills are the responsible taxpayers.”

You can read the entire release right smack here.

Remember, feel free to send me your election info and I’ll post it here.

Hammond faces local attorneys Steve Williams and Jason Hunnicutt in the May Republican primary.

Incumbent Joy McCoskey opted not to seek re-election. There are no Democratic challenges.

Criminal Court Clerk's Office not updating meth registry database

Another scoop:

Roughly 30 people were convicted of methamphetamine-related crimes in Knox County last year, but almost all of them can still buy pseudoephedrine, the drug's main ingredient, despite a state-mandated database that's supposed to alert pharmacists not to sell to offenders.

The problem, though, isn't contained to just 2013.

For more than half a decade, the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office has failed to properly update the Meth Offender Registry, a tool investigators and lawmakers say is crucial to combating the growing methamphetamine problem.

The registry is maintained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. But, criminal court clerks throughout the state are responsible for providing the bureau with the names, dates of birth and addresses, of those convicted of possessing, selling or manufacturing methamphetamine, according to state law.

Those convicted must be placed on the registry, which can be found online, for seven years. They also are banned from purchasing pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter decongestant found in cold and sinus medicines.

Records, however, show that the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office rarely complies with the law.

For example, the courts have convicted 137 defendants since mid-2008, which is when Joy McCroskey took over the office, according to records. But, her department turned over data for just seven people, or about 5 percent of those convicted.

To read the rest and watch the report click right smack here.

Williams says he won't opt out of Knox criminal court clerk's race

So, there’s a rumor that Knox County Criminal Court Clerk candidate and attorney Steve Williams will drop out of the race, especially after local prosecutor Jason Hunnicutt jumped in at the last minute.

Williams this afternoon told me that it’s not true and he’s in it to win.

He did, however, joke that he wished Hunnicutt had waited 45 minutes to turn in his petition. (He turned it in about 30 minutes before deadline.)

The race, which will be settled in the May Republican primary, will now feature Commissioner Mike Hammond, Williams and Hunnicutt. (Incumbent Joy McCroskey has pulled out.)

By the way, the deadline to drop out and not have your name on the ballot is noon Feb. 27.

McCroskey officially quits campaign

Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey has made it official: She will not run for re-election.

Course we already broke that news with da scoop yesterday, but anyhoo, she turned in a withdrawal notice to the Knox County Election Commission just now.

You can read it right smack here.

Now, oddly enough, if she had waited to turn it in tomorrow through noon next Thursday (the deadline to officially withdraw and not have your name on the ballot), then the county would have been required to extend the qualifying deadline another seven day due to anti-skullduggery law. (I’m not making this up.)

County prosecutor picks up petition to run for criminal ct clerk post

Jason Hunnicutt

Well, well, things might get interesting in the race for the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk’s seat.

Jason Hunnicutt, a prosecutor in the District Attorney General’s Office, picked up a nominating petition today to run for the post. This comes less than a day after incumbent (and embattled) clerk Joy McCroskey told her staffers thatshe would not seek re-election.

At this point Republicans Mike Hammond, a county commissioner, and Steve Williams, a local attorney, are running. Candidates have until noon tomorrow to turn in their petitions.

Hunnicutt, 40, has worked as an assistant district attorney for Knox County since 2002 with a one year intermission (2005-06) when he served as counsel to the Commissioner of Safety. He’s also worked as legislative counsel for the Tennessee General Assembly.

He received a degree in political science from the University of Tennessee and a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys College of Law in 2000.

Anyhoo, you can find a lot of this stuff right smack here.

District Attorney General Randy Nichols has a policy that if any of his employees run for office against an incumbent then they have to take a leave of absence. Since McCroskey opted out of the race, Hunnicutt will be allowed to continue working in the office.

The county primary is set for May with a general election in August.

McCroskey won't run for re-election

Joy McCroskey

Embattled Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey has opted not to seek re-election, telling employees during a staff meeting Tuesday that she was withdrawing from the race.

Multiple sources confirm to 10News that McCroskey broke the news during a mandatory staff meeting Tuesday afternoon. She told her employees that she was withdrawing from the race. Her last day is Aug. 31 when her term ends.

The deadline to qualify to run for the criminal court clerk seat is noon Thursday. The primary is set for May with a general election set for August.

At this point, only McCroskey, Knox County Commissioner Mike Hammond and local attorney Steve Williams have turned in nominating petitions to run. All three are Republicans.

McCroskey has until noon Feb. 27 to file a formal withdrawal with the Knox County Election Commission or her name will remain on the ballot.

You can read the entire story right smack here.

McCroskey stepping down? Not so fast

The rumors are picking up again in the old Death Star that the embattled Joy McCroskey, Knox County’s criminal court clerk, is contemplating stepping down from office or even not running for re-election.

This comes after a robo call to voters last week that asked residents who they would pick in the upcoming race: McCroskey or Mike Hammond, a county commissioner who plans to run for the seat.

(Steve Williams, a local attorney who also has picked up a nominating petition, was not a choice in the survey.)

Awhile back, when we first broke the story about the many of the problems in McCroskey’s office, she did ask at least one employee whether she should step down. That person told her no.

My guess is that she won’t now, either. McCroskey can be pretty defiant, so I don’t expect her to give up so easily. Plus, she's still got plenty of supporters and there's a lot of folks out there who will vote for her if only to vote against Hammond. (Also, Williams might take votes away from Hammond, and it's the top vote-getter - you don't need "50 plus 1" - in the Mayor Republican Primary who moves on to the August General Election.)

Another rumor is that she won’t turn in her petition by the Feb. 20 due date, a move that would essentially signal her resignation (although she’d still serve until the end of August).

I doubt even that happens.

We’ll see. Stranger things happen in that building.

Teen seeks $50K for wrongful arrest

Well, it was bound to happen. Apparently, problems stemming from the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office have potentially led to a lawsuit.

And yeah, the kid who is demanding $50K from the county was picked up right about the time Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey went on a cruise.

No, really? Crap is fallen down all over the place and she gets on a boat. Whatever.

Anyhoo, you can find the documents and the story, right smack here.

Criminal Ct Clerk 'cruising' along

So, uh, what do you do when you’re under fire for running what officials believe is a shoddy shop and you’ve managed to pretty much tick off the kinds of people in life you don’t really want to – you know, judges, law enforcement, prosecutors, etc?

Well, you take off on a cruise! Yup. Apparently, the worst kept secret – or one of them – in the ol’ Death Star is that embattled Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey left today on a 10-day cruise. Technically, I think she quit showing up for work on Thursday, but left today. (insert your own joke.)

Now, you can say: Well she booked that sucker in advance, so she should go. Well, yeah. You can say a lot of things. And hey, I’m not judging anyone. Especially someone who’s missed pretty much every other Friday this year.

Heh.

Tech in short supply in Criminal Ct Clerk Office, key fund untapped

Yeah, they don't believe in computers. Heh.

A short-supply of technology and training inside the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office has created a series of problems that's led to wrongful arrests, cases set aside due to errors and residents temporarily losing their right to vote, officials and former employees say.

Now, the Knox County Commission wants to look into what role it can play to help solve some of the problems.

Officials during the board's Tuesday's work session plan to talk about auditing the office, and whether to use technology reserve funds to cover the costs. The account, according to county Finance Director Chris Caldwell, has gone uptapped for at least three years and has roughly $132,000 in it.

Click right smack here for last night's bad a$$ story.