KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Using a county-owned golf cart for months cost him his $170,000-a-year job. Now Bryan Hair has a chance to rehabilitate his reputation and get rid of a felony criminal charge forever.
Knox County Criminal Court Judge Scott Green on Tuesday awarded judicial diversion to the former chief of staff to Mayor Glenn Jacobs. That means if he stays out of trouble for the next year, he'll be able to wipe a conviction for official misconduct from his record.
Hair, 38, pleaded to the Class E felony in September and agreed to serve a one-year term. It's the lowest level of felony in state law. He asked Green for a chance at diversion.
As the judge noted repeatedly before sentencing Hair, the state Legislature as a matter of policy has agreed that people like Hair should get diversion.
"To me this one's really not a close case," said Green, a former defense attorney and prosecutor.
Hair made a tragic and stupid mistake, the judge said, that ended up costing him dearly.
Hair was a rising local political star when he became Jacobs' county chief of staff in 2018. But in the spring of 2020, he said he borrowed a newly purchased county golf cart.
He said his wife needed to use it because she'd broken her foot. Several months later, he returned the golf cart.
But once word got around about what he'd done, Hair faced scrutiny and criticism. He resigned and apologized to Jacobs. The state Comptroller's Office investigated and a Knox County grand jury ended up indicting him.
Knox County prosecutor Bill Bright told Green the state opposed judicial diversion. Hair had a unique position of authority that he ended up abusing, Bright said.
For what he made as chief of staff, Hair could have bought his own golf cart, Bright said.
Defense attorney John Valliant told Green he was prepared to call witnesses who would testify about how Hair has worked to improve himself and help others. Green said he didn't need to hear them to make his decision.
Hair will have to report to a state probation officer for the year that he's on diversion.
Green said he would have to earn his diversion every single day of his term, up until Dec. 13, 2023.
"If not, you know what's going to happen," the judge said.
