Utility worker arrested, accused of sexual contact with inmate

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A now-former employee of the Trousdale County Utility District has been arrested and charged following a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe.

According to the TBI, agents began investigating Joe Slagle, 52, on Sept. 12, 2025, at the request of 15th Judicial District Attorney General Jason Lawson, after allegations surfaced that he was having sexual contact with an inmate.

On Feb. 17, a Trousdale County Grand Jury indicted Slagle on four counts of sexual contact with an inmate. He turned himself in and was booked into the Trousdale County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

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