Petition filed by Coffee County Commissioner Hodge Reveals Accusations of Criminal Behavior from Sheriff, Mayor

Coffee County Commissioner Joseph Michael Hodge has filed a petition in Chancery Court seeking to compel the county government to comply with a public records request in a filing that releases a litany of accusations against Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt and Sheriff Chad Partin.

The petition was filed June 20, 2025.

Hodge, who represents the Fourth District, alleges that the County Mayor Dennis Hunt and Sheriff Chad Partin deliberately withheld documents he originally requested in February of 2025 related to the planning commission, a zoning moratorium, and actions by the former county mayor Judd Matheny.

According to the filing by Hodge, the documents were stored in the county mayor’s office and allegedly compiled by Matheny, who has since passed away. Hodge claims he attempted to access the documents through a secretary, Connie Goethe, but this effort triggered accusations of criminal behavior by county leadership.

According to the court filing, Goethe was pressured to resign under threat of criminal prosecution after she indicated she agreed to release the records to Hodge. The complaint states that Goethe was led into a meeting on April 13 with county human resources, Partin and Hunt and threatened with criminal prosecution if she did not resign and she elected to resign that day.

According to Hodge’s petition, a May 13 county commission meeting included an unannounced private session attended by the county mayor, sheriff, county attorney, and commissioners. During this closed-door discussion, Hodge says he was confronted with accusations of criminal behavior related to his attempts to access public records. He also alleges that he was told he would avoid criminal prosecution and public humiliation if he resigned, but he has chose to remain on the commission.

No official charges have been filed against Hodge. And District Attorney General Craig Northcott told Thunder Radio News that he informed Sheriff Partin and Mayor Hunt that there was no criminal wrongdoing to investigate.

The petition further alleges that the sheriff made disparaging remarks about the records Hodge sought and about the late former county mayor who originally compiled them. Hodge asserts that the county leadership used this meeting to pressure him to resign his commission seat, telling him that doing so would help him avoid public embarrassment and criminal charges. Despite this pressure, Hodge chose to remain in office and pursue the matter through legal channels.

On May 16, Hodge formally submitted a public records request for the documents in question, but was denied access. The county cited an ongoing criminal investigation and claimed the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department held the documents as evidence.

However, Hodge’s petition alleges that no such investigation was legitimately ongoing. He references a meeting with District Attorney General Craig Northcott on June 17, during which the DA reportedly confirmed that he had already informed the county mayor and sheriff back in March that no crime had been committed and that neither Hodge nor the secretary would face charges. Hodge contends that the criminal investigation claim was a lie, used in bad faith to withhold the records.

The petition seeks a court order for the immediate release of the records and asks that the county be required to pay legal fees for what Hodge describes as willful noncompliance. He argues that the denial of access was a deliberate attempt to obstruct public transparency and prevent the disclosure of potentially embarrassing or damaging information to the public and fellow commissioners.

The original Thunder Radio news story published on May 13 about the county launching an investigation into Hodge can be found HERE

RESPONSES BY NORTHCOTT AND PARTIN

Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott told Thunder Radio on Monday, June 23, that he was very disappointed that Sheriff Partin and Mayor Hunt have used his name, reputation and the power of his office to “advance a political agenda.”

Northcott told Thunder Radio News that the Sheriff and Mayor came to see him and ask for his advice (the first week of March 2025) and explained that Coffee County Commissioner Joe Mike Hodge and Connie Goethe (Administrative Assistant to the Coffee County Mayor) were trying to remove documents from the Mayor’s office covertly.

Northcott explained that he told the Sheriff and the Mayor that there was no crime that had been committed. Northcott said that Mr. Hodge had access to the documents in question, as he was a Coffee County Commissioner. Northcott stated that he told the Mayor and the Sheriff that he would not participate in a “sting” operation to catch Goethe and Hodge removing documents. Northcott said that the proper response was to approach Commissioner Hodge and explain the proper procedure for viewing the documents.

Northcott added that he conveyed to Partin and Hunt that if they moved forward with the “sting” there would be no charges brought against Goethe and Hodge.

Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin gave Thunder Radio an exclusive statement on June 23, 2025, continuing his claim that Hodge’s actions were criminal.

Sheriff Partin Stated that elected officials are held to a higher standard than non-elected individuals and that there was criminal intent to conduct official misconduct. Sheriff Partin went on to say that it would no different if he had conspired to remove documents from the District Attorneys Office. Hear Partin’s full statement here:

Chad Partin statement

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt sent an email to General Northcott stating the sollowing:

From: Dennis Hunt <mayor@coffeecountytn.gov>

Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 10:38 AM

Subject: Misstatements

To: Craig Northcott <ccnorthcott@tndagc.org>

General,With all due respect, I am requesting a public retraction of several statements recently attributed to you in the media which I believe to be incorrect and untrue. Listed here,

Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott told Thunder Radio on Monday, June 23, that he was very disappointed that Sheriff Partin and Mayor Hunt have used his name, reputation and the power of his office to “advance a political agenda.

I have never publicly used your name in this matter and certainly was never advancing a political agenda. I was addressing what I considered to be a very serious and criminal issue.

Northcott told Thunder Radio News that the Sheriff and Mayor came to see him and ask for his advice (the first week of March 2025)

This is absolutely untrue. I have never been in your office regarding this issue. In fact, I never spoke to you about this issue until you requested a meeting here at the Mayor’s office on May 30 where you inquired if I had any issues I wished to discuss with you.

Northcott explained that he told the Sheriff and the Mayor that there was no crime that had been committed.

If this statement were correct, then why did you not say that again during our meeting on May 30. Instead, you told me that an overt act was needed to initiate prosecution and you would review the information I gave you and respond in a week. There was never any further discussion regarding your opinion.

Northcott added that he conveyed to Partin and Hunt that if they moved forward with the “sting” there would be no charges brought against Goethe and Hodge.I have no idea what you are referring to with this statement. I am not aware of any “sting”. I know the Sheriff conducted surveillance on the day Mr. Hodge intended to unlawfully remove the documents from my office, but I never tried to set up any “sting”. Once again, if you said this it definitely was not said to me.

I am very troubled by the media’s reporting of these incorrect statements and I hope that you will correct them.

Dennis A. Hunt

Coffee County Mayor