The security camera video shows what you’d expect when the Knox County Sheriff’s Office launches a sting operation on a suspected catalytic converter theft ring. But there’s a surprise in the footage from Sept. 3, 2021.
One of the deputies, clad in body armor and clearing rooms at gunpoint, is one of Sheriff Tom Spangler’s key campaign donors, a former real estate agent and firefighter who lacks the training for dangerous work like storming a building.
Warehouse employees, hands up, lie on the floor as three deputies rush in wearing bullet-resistant vests emblazoned with “SHERIFF NARCOTICS.” Two are brandishing AR-style rifles, one holds a handgun.
The fourth officer through the door, handgun drawn, is Jerry Glenn, the campaign donor who now works as a fire investigator and lacks a state-mandated police certification. His vest is labeled “SHERIFF” in bright yellow lettering on the back. Glenn points his gun into nooks and crannies of warehouse space, helping to clear the building.
His participation startled former and current sheriff’s office employees who told Knox News it’s an insult to the men and women who have earned the proper certifications to allow a person like Glenn on a scene like this.