MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The former assistant director of the Tipton County Emergency Communications District has been indicted on charges of stealing from the county and official misconduct.
In March 2024, a Tipton County Grand Jury indicted Glenda Brown on charges of theft of property, destruction of and tampering with governmental records, and official misconduct.
According to the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, Brown received at least $6,150 from unauthorized payroll payments between October 2022 and November that same year. Tipton County officials who spotted the questionable transactions reported them to the comptroller.
The comptroller’s office said Brown received payments for unearned leave, unauthorized annual leave, excess salary, and unearned payroll benefits. Investigators said she tried to hide the theft by entering the excessive payments in the software under items not assigned to her.
According to the comptroller, one of the ways Brown stole money was by paying herself sick leave she didn’t earn. They said Brown was responsible for entering the time worked information for employees. They said she was a salaried employee, and not eligible for more than 80 hours per pay period, but paid herself 80 hours of salary and another 40 hours of sick leave on one paycheck.
Brown was fired in December 2022. The comptroller said she repaid the district $7,381.19, which included the improper payroll payments and the value of equipment she did not return after being fired.
“Government entities should ensure payroll duties are divided between multiple individuals,” said Comptroller Mumpower. “One person should not be creating employee timesheets, entering the time worked into the accounting system, and processing payroll. Timesheets should also be approved by a supervisor before being processed.”
To view the investigative report, go to tncot.cc/doireports.
