David Lynn Crowley
Information from WYSH Radio
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has questions for District Attorney General Dave Clark concerning the indictment of Public Works Director and Building Commissioner David Crowley.
A letter hand-delivered from the mayor’s office to the DA’s office states that the five misdemeanor charges handed down against Crowley last week by a grand jury do not meet the legal standards for those charges.
Crowley, who was appointed by Mayor Frank in September of 2012, was charged last week with five counts of inspecting houses without the proper certification following a TBI investigation. He turned himself in at the Anderson County jail Thursday morning, posted a $1,000 bond, and returned to work that same day.
Frank’s letter states that the charges “require not only a knowing failure to enforce the statute, but also that the intentional failure posed ‘an immediate danger to the life, safety, or welfare of another.’” Her letter states that each of the five houses in question has been inspected several times since Crowley’s initial inspection, and that occupancy permits were issued.
Frank’s letter also says that it has been almost a year since the alleged illegal inspections were performed and nine months since County Law Director Jay Yeager raised questions about Crowley’s certifications, writing that she is not aware of any “immediate danger.”
The same morning that Crowley was indicted, he fired building inspector Lisa Crumpley for what her separation papers deemed insubordination, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Crumpley cooperated with the TBI probe and her lawyer, David Stuart, sent a letter to Frank and County Commission Chairman Robert McKamey two weeks ago that expressed concern that she would be retaliated against.
Last week, Frank issued a statement in which she said that she would not tolerate anyone being terminated for lawfully cooperating in an investigation and pledged to look into the matter further.
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