Was DA Crump Being Blackmailed? The “Ghost in the MCSO”

 The Question for Sheriff Tommy Jones:

**"Sheriff Jones, at the next open forum, the citizens deserve an answer to the unthinkable: Was Benny Byrum’s criminal history scrubbed from the local books? Is he currently back on a 'part-time' payroll—on paper only—while he actually works as a political surrogate for your re-election campaign?

If the TBI record from 2018 shows a felony indictment for Sexual Contact with an Inmate, how does your department justify a '19 years strong' continuous service claim on social media? Is the Monroe County taxpayer currently funding a 'Ghost Captain' to bridge a seven-year gap in service, and if so, does this 'Administrative Grace' have anything to do with the blackmail allegations that compromised the District Attorney’s office during that same period?"**

How does a Captain facing charges where "consent" is legally impossible (T.C.A. § 39-16-408) vanish from the ledger, only to reappear on social media bragging about being "19 years strong"? If the TBI was right in 2018, is the MCSO currently operating a Ghost Payroll?

The Price of a Compromised DA

This "Administrative Grace" didn't happen in a vacuum. A  DA under the thumb of a blackmailer cannot prosecute a Sheriff's insider. If Byrum knew the "internal politics," he was untouchable.  It points directly back to the "humbug chaos" of the Stephen Crump era. When a District Attorney is allegedly being blackmailed by a city cop’s wife—as suggested by ADA Coty Wamp’s testimony regarding the suppressed Dana Cheatham recording—the DA loses the ability to say "no" to the Sheriff’s Office.

A blackmailed DA cannot prosecute a Sheriff’s Captain who knows where the skeletons are buried. The result?

• The "Slow-Walk": Used to let the clock run out on Constable Tommy Jones Sr. and his eight counts of narcotics delivery.

• The "Vaporization": Used to scrub the Byrum timeline--magically transformed into a continuous 19-year career.

The Taxpayer’s Tab

If Byrum is a Ghost Employee, the taxpayers aren't just being lied to—they are being robbed. While families like the Isbills wait for a shred of accountability, the MCSO appears to be using public funds to bridge the gaps for its favorites.

Justice in the 10th District isn't a blindfolded lady with a scale; it’s a back-room deal where indictments disappear, "ghosts" get paid, and the only thing being "slow-walked" is the truth.