Back when I worked for the corporate-owned paper in town, I wrote a weekly story about young professionals. At one point, someone suggested I do a profile of Kelsey Ketron. I got her number from her dad, Bill (this was before he was mad at me for comparing him to my granny). We played phone tag for a while before I gave up.
Good thing I did because now I don't have to look back at a story lauding her insurance sales skills. I say this because after Monday's hearing in Rutherford County court, Kelsey Ketron's reputation is more than a little tarnished.
She pleaded no contest to 15 of the 70+ counts she faced for (not allegedly any more) selling insurance without a license.
"I just would like to say thank you to my family and my friends, and I'm glad to have this put behind me," Ketron told reporters after the hearing.
She was set to appear April 20 to face 30 counts of Impersonating a Licensed Professional, 14 counts of Money Laundering, 12 counts of Aggravated Perjury, five counts of Fraudulent Insurance Acts $250,000 or more, five counts of Forgery $250,000 or more, two counts of Fraudulent Insurance Acts $60,000-$250,000, Fraudulent Insurance Acts $10,000 - $59,999, Theft of Property $10,000 - $60,000, and Theft of Property $60,000 - $250,000.
Instead, she reached a plea with the DA from Hamilton County that spared her any jail time (for now) in exchange for the no contest plea. The case was overseen by Senior Judge Walter Kurtz, a retired Circuit Court judge in Nashville.
Her plea agreement keeps her from having to plead guilty, but she has to pay $10,000 in fines, perform 300 hours in community service and serve eight years on state-supervised probation, according to The Murfreesboro Post.
She also agreed to not sell any insurance for the duration of her probation or serve on any political campaigns. I just her dad will have to find a new treasurer.
I know she doesn't have any jail time, but the probation system in Tennessee is set up for failure. If she runs afoul of the law in any way, she could land back in jail faced with her full sentence or whatever might remain of it. That means a traffic ticket, if severe enough, could result in eight years in jail.
This is the final piece of the case against Kelsey. Back in January, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance filed an order (read it here) with the Secretary of State's Administrative Procedures Division in the insurance fraud case. Kelsey Ketron's license was revoked, she was ordered to pay $23,000 in civil penalties, and agreed to refrain from "any insurance-related activities requiring a license from the Department," Kevin Walters, communications director, Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance.
Kelsey Ketron was ordered pay the fines in four installments over four years that first of which is due at the beginning of March. She is also banned from selling insurance for until the fine is "paid in full."
Not that not having a license stopped her the first time.
Our illustrious Mayor Bill Ketron still faces inquiries from the Registry of Election Finance and a complaint from Tennessee Ethics Commission's Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance office about Ketron's Statement of Disclosure of Interest.
And Vickie Ketron still wants you to know she isn't related to any of these people.