Week in Ketron: Kelsey Ketron is in the clink

Nov 05, 2019 at 08:37 am by Michelle Willard


Last time we left off with our illustrious mayor, he was in the midst of a fraud investigation into his family-owned insurance agency, fielding questions about how he spent campaign money and an age-discrimination lawsuit.

Oh, he was possibly behind a smear campaign of his biggest rival on the Rutherford County Commission.

And now his daughter Kelsey Ketron was arrested on three sealed indictments Monday night.

Here's what we know

The arrest of Kelsey Ketron, 29, of Murfreesboro, resulted from an investigation by the Murfreesboro Police Department, which ended with a Rutherford County Grand Jury returning three indictments against Universal International Insurance employee Kelsey Ketron who faces more than 70 separate charges.

At approximately 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, MPD Detective Chris Pitts served the indictments on Ketron at her Murfreesboro home. She was taken into custody and booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

Ketron is charged with 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.

The State District Attorney’s Office selected the Hamilton County District Attorney’s office to prosecute the case after Rutherford County District Attorney General Jennings Jones and his staff recused themselves due to a conflict of interest.

As of Tuesday morning, Ketron was still being held on a $100,000 bond at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

In July, the Murfreesboro Police Department – with help from the Secret Service – executed three search warrants on the Ketron family insurance office, Universal International Insurance on South Church Street, regarding investigations of insurance fraud.

Because the indictments are sealed, they do not specify the nature of the charges. But because Ketron (pictured below) is being held on $100,000 bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, it is implied that the charges are serious.

She is set to appear Nov. 25 in Rutherford County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing. 

 

The Fraud Investigation

Administrative Law Judge Phillip Hilliard denied a request Tuesday, Oct. 29 from Ketron to dismiss the state's fraud case against her. That means she's still scheduled for a civil hearing set for Jan. 13-14.

The case arises from a complaint by former Universal International Insurance customer Susan Calvin. She claims she had paid for an insurance policy but the policy never existed, and she was required to pay $127,230 in water damages from a frozen pipe that burst at her Shelbyville home.

Calvin reportedly gave Ketron a $1,608 check to renew her policy that was deposited into the company's account instead of being sent to the insurance company.

The complaint resulted in the discovery that Ketron failed to renew her license to sell insurance. This added more charges of impersonating a licensed professional and theft.

She has since taken a leave from the company and resigned her post on the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee.