JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Washington County sheriff’s son, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a detainee, has a new job title at the sheriff’s office: maintenance custodian.
Records obtained by News Channel 11 show that Eddie Graybeal, son of Sheriff Ed Graybeal, was reassigned to maintenance effective Aug. 2.
Graybeal was caught on video slapping a handcuffed detainee in November 2018, when he was a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office. The incident led a grand jury to indict him a year later on charges of assault, official misconduct, and official oppression.
On Nov. 7, 2019, one day after the indictment was announced, the sheriff suspended his son without pay pending the outcome of the court case. Graybeal pleaded guilty to simple assault in May 2020 while the other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to a year of probation.
Just a few days after he pleaded guilty, Graybeal was transferred to a civilian position within the sheriff’s office.
Then in July of this year, a state commission denied Graybeal a conviction waiver that would have allowed him to transition back to a non-civilian job.
Records show the former lieutenant turned in his marked patrol vehicle on Nov. 7, 2019, the day of his arrest. However, he did not turn in his department-issued weapons — two Glocks, a Taser, a shotgun, and a rifle — until July 30 of this year, according to sheriff’s office records.
A sheriff’s office “personnel action form” indicates that Graybeal will continue to be paid $28.38 per hour in his new maintenance position.
