Repeat offender: Mount Carmel mayor arrested again, charged with impersonating a police officer

The mayor of Mount Carmel, Tennessee is in trouble with the law, again.

This time, he is accused of flashing a police badge to try and look at video surveillance footage at a local Walmart.

Court records show Chris Jones, 49, was indicted on charges of criminal impersonation and simulation in Sullivan County and was released Wednesday after posting bond.

The charges stem from incidents at the store on West Stone Drive on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 where workers said Jones requested to see parking lot video because he was investigating a stolen vehicle. Jones was denied by Walmart personnel on both occasions and they reported the incidents to Kingsport police.

Jones was once a police officer for Mount Carmel but was dismissed from the force in 2013. Current Mount Carmel Chief of Police Kenny Lunsford, Jr., told investigators that Jones is not affiliated with the department and has no authority to represent the agency.

Jones is facing a domestic assault charge from last month and is scheduled for trial next month on a felony theft charge. Prosecutors say Jones stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his grandmother in 2016.

(PHOTO: SCSO TN)