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Grand jury determines former acting TBI director Jason Locke committed no crime

Locke had stepped down as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's acting director as officials investigated allegations of misuse of state funds.

The former acting Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director committed no crime after allegations of misuse of state funds, a grand jury determined this week.

According to the Davidson County District Attorney's office, the grand jury has decided that neither former acting director Jason Locke nor Sejal West, former deputy commissioner for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse "committed a violation of any criminal statute."

Sejal West (Photo: Submitted)

The two allegedly carried out an affair.

Locke's wife, Kim Locke, emailed Gov. Bill Haslam's office saying that he had used state funds to cover hotel costs during the affair.

Locke, a 21-year TBI employee, retired from the agency in June amid the state investigation.

Kim Locke's complaint led to a multi-pronged investigation involving the state comptroller, the Department of Safety and the Nashville district attorney. In addition to investigating a potential misuse of funds, officials are also investigating Jason Locke for potential crimes against his wife.

In her email to Haslam in June, she also said she was "afraid that I'm in danger" because "he picked up a gun last night and held it in his hands the whole time we talked."

A document returned from grand jury foreperson Larry Stephenson Aug. 7 notes that the jury heard a presentation on the results of the investigation into travel expenses, but doesn't mention consideration of any allegations of domestic violence.

The Office of the Tennessee Comptroller, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol testified during the grand jury proceeding.

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