By Hayes Hickman
News Sentinel
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A former Knox County probation officer was arrested Thursday following his indictment by a grand jury last month on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for favorable treatment of offenders under his supervision, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Alex Ragland, 44, is charged with one count of bribery and one count of official misconduct after a five-month investigation by the TBI, according to TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm.
Ragland posted a $5,000 bond after being booked into the Knox County Detention Facility. TBI launched its investigation in May at the request of District Attorney General Randy Nichols’ office.
Ragland, who was employed with the probation office since 2003, was placed on paid administrative leave May 27, according to Frances Fogerson, with the Knox County human resources office. He was fired from the post June 9.
“TBI has concluded their investigation,” Tara Richardson, Knox County probation director, states in a June 9 memo notifying Ragland of his employment termination. “They notified me that you have given them a statement admitting to taking money from a client, or on behalf of a client, on at least two separate occasions, in exchange for improper supervised probation benefits.” A special prosecutor has been appointed in the case, Helm said.
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