Knox County Scandal: What You Need to Know (Newspaper Report)

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What happened: Biggs and his staff incurred $4,716.59 in hotel room expenses that exceeded the county rate on 10 trips from August 2023-November 2024, according to records reviewed by Knox News. On April 14, Knox County Trustee Justin Biggs said one employee was terminated due to a breach of policies. The announcement followed a Knox News report that Biggs’ office was under. (WVLT) - Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs sent employees to work at his home on company time and pressured another employee to lie about an ethics investigation, according to court documents filed by former Parks and Recreation Director Paul White. As state investigat­ors make their way through Knox County government offices, county commission­ers are taking a look at some of their own ethical issues. Two commission­ers have a rules change that would prevent commission­ers with family members who work for Knox County to sit on committees that oversee those offices. Eleven years ago, members of the Knox County Commission brazenly violated the state’s Open Meetings Act by making secret agreements before and during a meeting that lives in local political infamy as Black Wednesday. Knox County Trustee Justin Biggs’ office is under investigation by the state’s watchdog for waste, fraud and abuse, Knox News reported April 14. The investigation’s findings haven’t been. According to court documents, Licking County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Tracy F. Van Winkle ruled on Feb. 18 that it was “inappropriate to issue an ex parte order of protection” based on lack of specificity. Leckbee and Green officially left office at midnight on Dec. 31, 2024, just two days after the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit, filed Dec. 29, 2024, on the one-year anniversary of Gilbert’s termination, alleges workplace harassment, misconduct, retaliation, and wrongful termination. 4 Knox County Board of Commissioners meeting from which Keesee was absent, several local citizens called for Keesee to step down, citing fears for the safety of local children and the integrity of law enforcement.