Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler will not sit for a deposition in the criminal corruption cases against 11 suspects connected to the sheriff's office because of his failing health. But a new written affidavit explains his side of the story.
In the motion filed Aug. 24, the attorney for one of the corruption case defendants says Spangler could not be scheduled for an in-person or video deposition
, “according to his attorney and his treating oncologist.”Spangler’s oncologist, Daniel Mark Ibach, said Spangler is at the “end stages” of his cancer battle and would “more likely than not” die within a few weeks unless an experimental drug reverses the prognosis.
Instead, Spangler provided a seven-page affidavit – filed Aug. 16 – to explain what he did
and did not know about the investigations into the department he has led since 2018.
Here are the key points included in his statement.
Spangler cooperated with the FBI
Spangler said he cooperated with the FBI throughout its investigation, including providing the agency with timesheets for many of the indicted men, including Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn and Capt. Aaron Yarnell, as well as serial numbers for Apple products.
Some of the men are accused of using department credit cards to buy themselves Apple products.
Spangler's cooperation with the FBI began in 2019. Communication with FBI agents included in-person meetings, phone calls and emails, some of which were initiated by Spangler, he said.
Chief Deputy Bernie Lyon cooperated with the FBI as well, Spangler said. Lyon died in 2025.
Spangler did not know the TBI was investigating his department
Once retired Assistant Chief Deputy David Henderson was indicted and convicted on a single charge of conspiracy to commit federal program fraud in August 2025, Spangler assumed – like many in the sheriff’s office – the storm had passed.
In his affidavit, Spangler repeatedly said he worked with the FBI but knew nothing of the investigation being built by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on state charges, which piggybacked off the FBI’s work.
The state’s investigation ended in the indictments of 11 people on state corruption charges. Those cases are making their way through the legal system.
Spangler says evidence was lost
Had Spangler known about the TBI investigation, he said, he would have preserved communication records from the walkie-talkies the narcotics unit used and would have kept the security footage and access logs showing deputies coming and going from the “Blue Building” that was used by the narcotics unit.
The building at 514 Benard Ave. was later demolished. The building is mentioned many times in the description of charges facing the 11 men in the state corruption case.
Further, Spangler said, if he had any reason to think KCSO employees would eventually be charged, he would not have allowed them to remain in their positions.
About that Amburn endorsement …
Spangler said he was repeatedly told by FBI agents that only Henderson would be charged. This explains, he said, why Amburn was promoted under his leadership and eventually got Spangler’s endorsement for sheriff. Brent Gibson went on to win the election.
Spangler passed blame, saying Lyon chose to promote Amburn.
“I would not have endorsed Mr. Amburn’s election campaign if I had known that Mr. Amburn was the subject of a TBI investigation or there was reason to believe Mr. Amburn had done anything inappropriate or unlawful and that he would be criminally charged,” he testified in writing.
Spangler thought J.J. was the 'ultimate target'
Spangler said it was his understanding that onetime political foe and former Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones was the FBI’s “ultimate target," though they apparently settled on Henderson, the head of narcotics.
Spangler wasn’t the only one with this opinion. Jones told Knox News in 2025 the FBI failed to indict him and instead focused on Henderson as a way to embarrass Jones and thwart his political ambitions.
“I just want the truth to come out. I think this was obviously a case of the weaponization of the FBI. No doubt, 100%,” he said in the story published in October 2025. “They went after me, and this was the only way that they could try to get me. And they used other people to try and get to me.”
Jones was never charged by the FBI, but he does face the same state charges as the other indicted men that were brought by the TBI.
How we got here
The indictments stem from yearslong federal and state investigations into the department's troubled narcotics unit. A federal investigation resulted in the August conviction of Henderson, the unit's former leader, on a single federal count of conspiracy to commit program fraud.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation picked up the work, and its investigation led to state charges of conspiracy to commit theft of property over $250,000; theft of property over $250,000; and theft of services over $60,000 for all 11 men. Each one entered a not guilty plea.
All the charges are felonies and all have potential serious prison sentences:
- Conspiracy to commit theft of property over $250,000: 8-12 years
- Theft of property over $250,000: 15-25 years
- Theft of services over $60,000: 8-12 years
The indicted men are:
- Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn, who oversaw the sheriff’s office narcotics unit
- Curtis Nathan Cole, a former narcotics unit detective
- Capt. James Hammond
- David Henderson, a retired KCSO assistant chief deputy who pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit federal program fraud in August 2025. His sentencing hearing has been rescheduled several times and is now scheduled for this fall.
- John "Hoppy" Hopkins, a retired KCSO captain
- Sgt. Timothy Isaacs
- Jimmy "J.J." Jones, a former Knox County sheriff
- Michael Ray Kidd, a civilian. Kidd's brother is Ronnie Kidd, a former KCSO fleet manager who pleaded guilty to a felony charge of official misconduct in October 2020 and was sentenced to two years of probation.
- Lt. Franklin "Rocky" Lowery
- Lake Lowry, a former KCSO sergeant
- Capt. Aaron Yarnell, who supervised the agency's technology division.
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: Key takeaways from Knox Sheriff Tom Spangler's corruption affidavit
