The former manager of Witt District Utility has found himself on the wrong side of the law, after entering a guilty plea on charges of theft and official misconduct. Benjamin Harris, the ex-general manager in question, admitted to pocketing no less than $67,392 in dubious overtime compensation, as unearthed by a state investigation led by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, as reported by WVLT. The investigation laid bare that from January to August 2022, Harris had illegitimately raked in thousands and misused district resources to his own benefit.
According to court documentation, on May 1, Harris accepted his guilt for the theft of property and official misconduct in the Hamblen County Circuit Court. Not stopping at simple overtime theft, the man was indicted along with his brother, Joseph Harris – a former water treatment operator for the same district. On May 15, 2023,, Joseph faced indictment on one count of official misconduct as well, as per an insight provided by WATE. The brothers’ indictment followed the comprehensive state probe that spanned from July 2021 through March 2023, highlighting Benjamin's hand in potentially falsifying district fund allocation and property use.
State investigative bodies have taken the malfeasance seriously, detailing that the elder Harris not only manipulated fiscal documentation for unjust enrichment but also misused district assets for personal endeavors. Documents from the court proceedings reveal his sentence includes state-supervised probation as administered through the Tennessee Department of Corrections. The gravity of the misuse of his position becomes further apparent with disclosures from the investigation that Harris spent work hours at a bar in Knoxville and confessed to drinking on these occasions, using a vehicle owned by the district no less.
Moreover, the Comptroller’s office investigation determined that Benjamin Harris had billed the district for labor on his own domicile and private business ventures, erecting a clear conflict of interest – and a violation of public trust. The former manager's penchant for converting a district-owned truck into personal transport for nocturnal escapades to a sports bar only adds to his litany of misdeeds. These revelations and his admission to having alcoholic beverages during such times was revealed by WJHL on X, painting a stark picture of the misuse of resources that were meant for public service.
The former Witt District Utility manager has pleaded guilty following a state investigation into misuse of district funds and property. https://t.co/L8AevD6xWw
— WJHL (@WJHL11) May 7, 2024
