Carter County water board signed blank checks as manager paid himself $98K, state finds
A Tennessee Comptroller investigation released Sept. 30, 2026 found that Royce Gentry, longtime office manager of the Siam Utility District in Elizabethton, processed at least $98,340.53 in unauthorized and questionable payroll and benefits to himself from 2023 to 2025, including $24,364 in unused-leave checks he issued the day he walked off the job in March 2025. Two board commissioners told investigators they routinely signed blank checks at his request. He claimed about 20 hours of overtime a week and took 86% of the district's overtime. The report says the three-member board, appointed by the Carter County mayor, had no internal control manual and failed to oversee finances; a commissioner later rehired Gentry part-time. A Carter County grand jury indicted Gentry in September 2026. The board said it has corrected or intends to correct the deficiencies.
The TBI said that the Carter County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Gentry with two counts of official misconduct, one count of theft over $60,000, and one count of theft of over $10,000.
Both checks were blank when pre-signed by two board commissioners, who stated that they routinely signed blank checks at Gentry’s request and did not know the purpose of these two checks.
Based upon this investigation, in September 2026, the Carter County Grand Jury indicted Royce Gentry on one count of theft over $60,000, one count of theft over $10,000, and two counts of official misconduct.
The board indicated it has corrected or intends to correct the deficiencies.
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