Police chief investigated

By MIKE WEST, Courier Editor

Business is continuing as usual at the Woodbury Police Department after Chief Kevin Mooneyham was placed on administrative leave without pay.
Mooneyham is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Department of Transportation for alleged misuse of federal tax dollars.

Assistant Chief Lowell Womack is now serving as acting chief of police.

The funds, earmarked by the state of Tennessee for DUI enforcement, were supposed to be used to pay officers overtime to help stop drunken drivers.
"We're looking into the allegation of the mismanagement of some of those funds," said Josh Devine, a spokesperson for the TBI told WSMV News. "This centers on the chief of the Woodbury Police Department."

In addition, TDOT is looking into how the grant funds were spent. The money, provided by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (part of TDOT), was supposed to be used to play overtime for officers to stop DUI drivers.

Records from the Town of Woodbury show rank-and-file officers made overtime from $139 to more than $1,300 during the last three years for DUI enforcement. During the same period, Mooneyham made $19,172 in overtime funds.

TDOT officials would only say they were performing a regular audit and found something concerning about how the money was spent.

The letter placing Mooneyham on leave without pay and states that the investigation should take two to three weeks.