The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into Knox County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Sharp's actions involving the arrest of a man he was personally suing, an attorney involved in the case said Oct. 22.
The statement made in court by attorney T. Scott Jones corroborates Knox News reporting, which detailed how Sharp sued Corey Monarch for incomplete work at Sharp’s home. The lieutenant was part of the team that arrested Monarch months later.
After court, Jones told Knox News the TBI confirmed to him personally their investigation involves Monarch's arrest.
Jones is representing Brandy Teeple, who was arrested along with Monarch. He told Judge Scott Green the investigation was “tied directly” to the case.
The Oct. 22 plea deadline hearing was
reset for Dec. 4.
A spokesperson for the TBI confirmed the investigation into Sharp is ongoing but declined to discuss the nature of it. Sharp has been removed from his role with the sheriff’s office’s narcotics unit and assigned to court security.
How Sharp and handyman were connected
In 2025, Sharp had a connection to the arrest of Monarch, a handyman he and Deputy Aaron Wyckoff were suing for $18,906 over damage to their properties. Wyckoff’s property and Sharp’s are adjacent, according to property records.
Sharp, with help from fellow narcotics Deputy Khristian Pickett, tried unsuccessfully to serve the lawsuit multiple times to Monarch at his South Knox County property beginning in February 2024, according to court records, and used specialized public-record databases typically used by deputies to try to find Monarch.
In October 2024, Knox County General Sessions Judge Chuck Cerny issued a default civil judgment against Monarch.
‘You can’t accept responsibility for anything’
Six months later, in March 2025, narcotics officers seized what Monarch said was his Kia Telluride when they arrested another man who was driving it. Monarch wanted it back, and according to court files, began calling the sheriff’s office repeatedly about his SUV.
The following day, beginning around 2 p.m., Monarch was back at it, at one point calling the sheriff's office 15 times in a 20-minute span, “each time becoming more belligerent” and eventually becoming “a source of significant annoyance," court files say.
Deputies had enough. They got a magistrate to sign a warrant on accusations of misdemeanor harassment.
Narcotics deputies, including Sharp, arrived with the warrant at Monarch's home within two hours. This is unusual. Warrants typically are served by the sheriff's office civil warrants division, which handles about 2,000 warrants each month.
While deputies were serving the warrant, they said they smelled marijuana and saw bullet casings. A search warrant was issued for Monarch’s home, and deputies found firearms and drugs.
Monarch, who pleaded guilty in 2003 in Michigan to felony breaking and entering, was charged with several felonies, though three have since been dismissed, including charges of being a felon with possession of a firearm and evading arrest.
Sharp, in a T-shirt and blue jeans, was on scene during the arrest, according to body camera footage reviewed by Knox News. At one point, Sharp and a handcuffed Monarch began yelling back and forth at each other.
“You don’t do anything wrong, do you? You can’t accept responsibility for anything,” Sharp told him.
The next day, Sharp filed court documents for a bank levy on Monarch’s accounts for the damages to his property.
In follow-up court filings, Monarch told the judge he had no money. In August 2025, his wages began to be garnished at $300 a month.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Email: tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com; X: @tyler_whetstone; Signal: twhetstone141924.39
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Attorney confirms TBI investigation of Knox County lieutenant over handyman beef
