Knox County Sheriff Brent Gibson’s first day in office was busy. There were meetings to attend, documents to sign, plans to make. And there were problems to address.
Gibson wasted no time tackling one of the biggest. He fired Eric Edlin
, the former reserve captain appointed by former Sheriff Tom Spangler, who was allowed to act as a deputy even though he wasn’t certified. Edlin also came with legal baggage.In a 2024 investigation, Knox News reported Edlin was one of two armed sheriff's employees who raided a South Knoxville business in 2021 even though neither had police certification. Edlin didn’t complete his required police academy until last fall, after the Knox News report brought scrutiny from state policing regulators on Edlin and the sheriff's office.
KCSO spokesperson Justin Pratt confirmed Edlin’s firing in an email to Knox News.
“The employee had not completed the required one-year probationary period," Pratt said. "His employment was ended in accordance with Merit System policy.”
The county’s Merit System manual gives the sheriff wide latitude to fire an employee in their probationary period for cause or if it would be “in the best interest of the Sheriff’s Office.” The dismissal cannot be appealed.
When reached by phone, Edlin called a reporter “chickenshit” and said he was not fired but was told his services were no longer needed. Gibson's action, he said, was retaliation because Gibson's wife and Edlin’s ex-wife are close.
Edlin said he planned to file a federal lawsuit against the sheriff’s office.
Knox News' reporting triggered a state investigation by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, commonly referred to as POST, and the agency's investigation corroborated Knox News’ findings that the employees were performing police duties without the required training.
Spangler, a POST committee member, apologized to state officials in December 2024 and said Edlin would attend an academy in February. That date that was pushed back until this fall.
Following his graduation from the police academy, Edlin became a full-time officer, but was no longer a captain.
Edlin worked as a jailer early in his career before resigning after less than a year, then worked for a crane operating company and heavy hauling company before starting and selling a lawn care business. Edlin has twice been the target of orders of protection filed by women who assert he threatened to kill them, the second of which could have prevented him from serving as a law enforcement officer without Spangler's intercession.
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: Sheriff Brent Gibson uses his first day to remove a Spangler appointee
