Two more former employees of the Anderson County Circuit Court clerk have come forward to lodge complaints about their old boss.
Their names have been redacted in records obtained by 10News, but both already had been working in the office before William T. Jones was elected in August 2014.
They confirm in statements much of what's previously been alleged including that Jones liked to refer to himself in the office as "Daddy" and that he considered himself untouchable.
One of the women this month said Jones asked her if she'd ever had sex with the previous court clerk, Tyler Mayes. The other said he called her "Daddy's bitch."
At least seven women have complained about Jones since an investigation began in August 2017. Accusations include him sending a vulgar SnapChat message to one employee, improper touching, inappropriate personal questions and bullying.
The most recent women to complain have been mentioned by others interviewed by county human resources officials, documents show.
One of the former employees signed a three-page affidavit March 14. The other wrote a nearly four-page letter to HR officials March 5.
Jones could not be reached Friday.
He has told 10News he's done nothing wrong and is being targeted for political attacks.
He is suing one accuser, a former Clinton Courier reporter who did not work for him. Jones also has filed an ethics complaint against the Anderson County Commission, which has called on him to resign, as well as County Law Director Jay Yeager and Kim Whitaker, the interim human resources director.
One of his former employees, Gail Harness, filed a federal lawsuit this month against Jones in Knoxville.
'Don't get comfortable'
The woman who submitted the March 5 letter said she actually prepared a formal complaint against Jones in November 2014.
She said her time in the office dated to March 2013, when she was hired by then clerk Mayes, who lost to Jones in August 2014.
As soon as he took office, she alleges, Jones made his presence known.
On Sept, 2, 2014, he strode into the office in the Anderson County Courthouse and declared, "Do a bunch of pigs work here?" the woman wrote. "These same dishes have been laying in this nasty sink since the weekend."
"This was our first encounter with Mr. Jones," the woman wrote. "Mr. Jones then proceeded to tell the clerks that he wanted all the staplers confiscated as he also saw 'staples thrown all over the carpet and were no longer to be used.' "
She said he pressed her about her relationship with Mayes, the former clerk, records state. He asked if she'd dated Mayes, who is married. A married person herself, she said she told him she had not.
He also asked if she'd campaigned for Mayes, which she confirmed, according to records.
Jones also told her he was friends with Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.
" 'I am going to let you swear in today, but don't get comfortable. I'm still looking into how close you were to Tyler,' " she said he told her.
A week or two later, according to documents, he quizzed her in his office again about helping Mayes. He suggested she'd gotten paid during work time to help Mayes, which she said was untrue.
"I told William I used my personal time and had my time off approved by my manager (name redacted)," her letter states.
She then recited what she said was his response: "I'm asking you straight, did you and Tyler ever have sex? How far did you go to keep his (sic) job?"
The woman continued: "I told him that was none of his business and that I would not answer anymore questions like that and that I was leaving and that if he continued to ask me such questions I would file a complaint in HR. William laughed and said, 'Your efforts didn't get you very far, don't forget I'm the boss.' "
As the weeks went by the work place became more hostile, the woman told HR officials.
In October or November 2014, the employee wrote, she re-issued papers to garnish wages on a defendant facing a judgment who had fallen behind on payments.
The defendant appealed to Jones, according to records. A short time later, the employee told HR officials, she was ordered by a superior to "pull the garnishment." The employee refused, saying that would be illegal. Jones stepped in, she said, and told her to do it "or else."
The employee said she wouldn't and if necessary would go to General Sessions Judge Don Layton to report what was going on.
In November 2014, she went to HR and made a formal complaint about Jones, according to records. She ended up switching departments, however, going to work in HR itself, according to records.
While the woman said she thought she was done with Jones, former co-workers expressed to her problems they were having with Jones including retaliation. The woman reported what she'd heard to Russell Bearden, then the HR director.
"Mr. Bearden took these issues to (Mayor Terry Frank) and began short private interviews with William, of which I was not privy to," the woman's letter states. "Mr. Bearden in March 2015 then came to me to tell me that William had complained to the mayor that 'I was on a witch hunt after him.'
She said Bearden reprimanded her and told her Jones would be getting harassment training in Nashville. Other records show, however, that Jones ended up refusing to take the training as suggested by Bearden, opting instead to take an online course on the topic.
According to the woman's letter, she was "essentially fired" after a dispute with Bearden.
Don't Poke the Bear
In her March 14 affidavit, the second employee states that Jones referred to her as "Daddy's bitch" and to another clerk as "Daddy's prissy bitch."
The woman said she was a veteran in the clerk's office who had looked forward to continuing her job there.
"Mr. Jones from the onset demonstrated that he was going to handle things differently than the previous clerks," her affidavit states. "Mr. Jones would tell everyone that things would be fine as long as we didn't break 'Daddy's' (referring to Mr. Jones himself) number one rule. When asked what that was, Mr. Jones responded with, 'Don't ---- ---- up."
Employees lived in fear of losing their jobs, she alleges. Other employees relayed similar concerns in records previously obtained by 10News.
One woman kept a box under her desk because she thought she might get fired and be forced to leave on the spot.
"Mr. Jones told me on several occasions that he did not like her and he should have fired her when he took office," records state. "There are others that were targeted. This is just one example."
The clerk kept a sign in his office with a clear message, according to the woman: "Don't Poke the Bear."
The married court clerk would remark about women he found attractive who came into the office, the affidavit states. He'd asked those who caught his fancy "if they might consider being his girlfriend."
She continued: "Mr. Jones asked if my sister would consider being his girlfriend. I told him no and that he needed to back up."
The woman told HR officials that Jones forced her to resign after falsely accusing her of committing four felonies in the course of her work. She said her family has suffered as a result of losing her job and that they're "just now starting to gat back on track financially."
'Up to the people'
On Monday, Anderson County Commission voted 15-1 to rebuff efforts by Mayor Frank to hire independent counsel to look into the way the county has handled the Jones investigation.
Frank raised questions about how information was released to the public in the investigation and why it took several months -- from August 2017 until February -- before the investigation was presented to commission.
Law Director Jay Yeager has said the investigation involved multiple agencies and multiple accusers.
Commissioners tabled Frank's request, observing that under the rules of procedure there was no room for discussion.
Chairman Tim Isbel said an attorney involved in the case had advised them not to comment about the case as it's being investigated.
Other commissioners noted the county and Jones are now defendants in the federal lawsuit filed this month by Gail Harness, a former Jones employee.
Commissioner Jerry White, the "no" vote Monday night, said he was disappointed they wouldn't talk.
"I voted no on that because I really believe that the public is wanting us to find out some answers on this tonight," he said.
Isbel said county officials have consulted the district attorney general, the state attorney general and a state group that advises municipal government in Tennessee. They all said the commission had no role to play beyond its action Feb. 20 condemning Jones' alleged behavior and calling on him to resign, which he has not done.
"When it comes to an elected official, we have no jurisdiction," Isbel said. "It's up to the people that elect you."
White wondered about the women who still work in Jones' office. Isbel said he agreed it was a legitimate question but that there was nothing commission could do.
On Monday night, Jones' wife Amy declared on her Facebook page that "enough is enough!"
Amy Jones wrote what's been said about her husband was false. She wrote that recent weeks had been tough for her family and for Jones' staff.
She blamed the accusations on "bad politics". Jones' opponent, Rex Lynch, told 10News earlier this month he's tried to steer clear of the complaints against Jones specifically.
"I am asking each of my friends to please tell at least five of their friends that William is a good man and should not have been tried and convicted by the public without being asked one question by his peers," Amy Jones posted. "I am asking the citizens of Anderson County to see this for what it is. A nasty, untrue, political attack, and vote for the right man for the job of Circuit Court Clerk, my husband William T Jones, on May 1st early voting April 11-26."
