A photograph posted on our Facebook page this week created a stir that culminated in the suspension of a Knott County employee.
A Chevrolet Tahoe currently issued to County Police Officer Nelson Reynolds was photographed in the parking lot of a Hobby Lobby in Kingsport, Tennessee — in a handicapped spot.
Greg Mullins, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, made no excuses for the officer when interviewed by WYMT-TV Tuesday.
“We’re not condoning what he did. He was wrong. He did not have authorization to drive the vehicle, and he knows it was wrong. And it was just a poor decision,” Mullins said. He noted that county vehicles are not to be taken across county lines without permission from a supervisor, which Reynolds did not obtain.
Reynolds was in Tennessee due to a family emergency, and he actually did have a handicapped person in the vehicle, Mullins explained. Although the officer supplied a receipt showing he had paid for the gas used on the trip, Mullins said he will be required to pay the county back for the mileage — and he will also be suspended for three days without pay.
