A Knox County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant on leave since he was indicted on felony conspiracy charges has filed for disability, and the county retirement board will vote on his application at its monthly meeting July 27.
Lt. Franklin “Rocky” Lowery is not eligible for retirement. Knox News could not immediately confirm when he filed for disability and, importantly, whether he filed before or after he was indicted and placed on unpaid leave. Lowery, 48, was indicted in May along with nine others tied to the sheriff’s office in one of the largest law enforcement corruption crackdowns in Tennessee history. An 11th man, a civilian, also was indicted.
When reached by Knox News, Lowery declined to answer questions and told a reporter to speak with his
attorney, Scott Lanzon. Knox News spoke with someone from Lanzon's office who did not provide their name. The person said Lowery's filing was a "sensitive situation" and the office would not comment. Lanzon did not immediately respond to emailed questions on July 24.
In June, the retirement board approved retirement applications for Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn, Capt. James Hammond and Capt. Aaron Yarnell. The county's retirement policy says those with a felony conviction cannot collect a pension, but there is no mechanism for denying a retirement application while under indictment. The men met the conditions of the plan and were approved.
If convicted, the men could lose their pensions and be on the hook for sizable portions of what they’ve earned in retirement as state law allows for a claw back provision in retirement plans under which the employee would have to pay back the county's portion of money earned.
Former Knox County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Deputy Chief David Henderson, for instance, must pay back $339,015 to Knox County taxpayers following his guilty plea to a single felony count in federal court.
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: On leave for TBI indictment, Knox County officer files for disability
