Ex-officer avoids jail in missing cash case

Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
BYLINE: Todd South

Athens, TN

A former Athens Police Department detective will avoid prison but will have to pay back $11,600 he took from the police evidence locker, a judge said Thursday.  Bill Matthews pleaded guilty to official misconduct Thursday in the Loudon County Courthouse. The veteran police detective, who joined the department in the mid-1970s, said he took money twice from the locker to pay bills and help his son and daughter with their financial trouble, records show.

Loudon County Criminal Court Judge E. Eugene Eblen sentenced Mr. Matthews to two years in prison. He suspended the sentence upon payment of $11,600 in restitution to the city and court costs, said 9th Judicial District Attorney Russell Johnson.

Mr. Matthews was not indicted; instead, he entered a guilty plea on information. Mr. Johnson said Mr. Matthews and his attorney, Doris Matthews, negotiated the plea deal to avoid an income tax-related investigation.

The case started when Athens Police Chief Chuck Zeigler reported the missing money in November 2007. Shortly afterward Mr. Matthews admitted that he took about $8,900.

The Tennessee Supreme Court appointed Mr. Johnson as special prosecutor after 10th District Attorney Steve Bebb recused himself.

Mr. Johnson sought an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and an audit by the Tennessee Comptroller's office. More than $46,000, drugs and a gun were listed as missing after a May 2008, audit of the police department's evidence locker. The remaining money has not been accounted for and only the $11,600 could be linked to Mr. Matthews, Mr. Johnson said.

When the McMinn County Grand Jury refused to indict Mr. Matthews in May 2008, Mr. Johnson said he thought the case was "dead in the water." Mr. Bebb said the grand jury's refusal to indict reflects community feeling about Mr. Matthews.

"I think Bill Matthews' esteem was so high in McMinn County that nobody wanted to believe that he did anything wrong," he said.

Mr. Bebb's voice quavered when he discussed his longtime friend's 2007 confession to taking the money.

"It was one of the biggest surprises I've ever been exposed to. I cried my eyes out," the district attorney said. "Bill is family. Everybody that knows him, we all suffered through this."

Mr. Matthews already has completed an alcohol and drug assessment, another condition of the suspended sentence. His next court appearance will be Oct. 9, a progress check on his restitution. Mr. Johnson said having a felony conviction effectively will bar Mr. Matthews from working in law enforcement. He said he understands some Athens residents aren't happy with the outcome of the case, but added, "frankly, I can't do anything more to help them than what we've done."

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