Former Knox County trustee Mike Lowe's probation on theft charges is in jeopardy.
Lowe, 60, is behind by $13,450 in court restitution payments, according to records. He agreed to pay $200,000 in restitution in 2015 as part of a plea to two counts of felony theft in connection with a scheme involving ghost employees.
The Knoxville man was arrested Tuesday on a probation violation warrant. He then was released with a cash bond set at $13,450, records show.
Lowe faces a future court hearing before Knox County Criminal Court Steve Sword.
The terms of his 2015 plea deal with the Knox County District Attorney General's Office called for him to spend a year in jail. He ended up serving about six months with credit for good behavior.
The deal also called for him to serve a 10-year suspended sentence -- under the condition that he cover his restitution.
He's supposed to pay $1,850 a month.
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Lowe generally kept up with the payment schedule until June 2017, when his payments dropped to $500 a month and then $250, records show.
According to the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office, he owes a balance of $172,641.
On Tuesday, Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee signed a probation violation order because "the defendant has failed to comply with the conditions of his probation by failing to pay restitution as ordered by the court."