Tennessee Mayor Accused Of Theft After Stealing More Than $300,000 From His Grandmother

After a year-long investigation, a Tennessee Mayor will face theft allegations against him after he was accused of stealing more than $300,000 from his grandmother.

Mount Carmel Mayor Christopher Jones was served with an indictment warrant Monday and charged the chief executive with one count of theft over $250,000.

The warrant came after a year-long probe by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and that it pointed to Jones stealing almost $394,000 from his grandmother's estate, Third Judicial District Attorney General Dan Armstrong told the Times News.

Armstrong added that charges against Jones “has nothing to do with his duties as the mayor,” but concentrated on his unjust acts towards his grandmother.

Despite the fact that the alleged crime took place in West Virginia, Hawkins County has jurisdiction considering that the money Jones allegedly took was deposited in a Tennessee Bank, said Armstrong.

Jones' grandmother, Marceline Carpenter died in January 2016 in a West Virginia assisted center.

Two months after, Jones was slapped with a lawsuit, claiming that he “embezzled” around $394,000 from his grandmother's estate. In addition, it also stated that Carpenter had dementia and was not fit to sign her power of attorney or issue checks.

The lawsuit was filed by Jones' mother, Barbara Jo Long and Robert and Gary Wayne Carpenter, both of which are Jones' uncles.

Prior to him winning the mayoralty seat in 2014 and 2016, Jones was a Mount Carmel police officer, detective and fire chief. It was only in 2013 that he was fired by then Mayor Larry Frost after he allegedly stole pills from a turned-over jacket.

Jones was arrested and was taken to the Hawkins County Jail with a $300,000 bond, said Fox News.