HUNTSVILLE | A former director of the Scott County Emergency Management Agency was indicted by a Scott County grand jury on Wednesday.
David Brewster, 51, the former director of the EMA, was indicted on a single count of sexual battery following an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The TBI’s investigation began in August following a referral by 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler, after allegations were made that Brewster inappropriately touched a female first responder at an incident scene.
Brewster subsequently resigned his post as EMA director. Scott County Government advertised that job vacancy in December.
Brewster was the subject of a called session of the Scott County Ethics Committee in December. However, that meeting ended without action or discussion after county attorney John Beaty advised committee members that the matter could not be discussed due to the ongoing criminal investigation. Brewster was no longer an employee of the county at that point, which would have rendered moot any action taken by the Ethics Committee.
Brewster turned himself in to authorities on Thursday under a $2,000 bond.
Grand jury indictments are accusations, not convictions, and persons indicted are considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
Good to see TBI and the DA's office treated this seriously from the start. The resignaton timing combined with the ethics committee deadlock tells a whole other story beyond what's in the indictment. Waiting for these cases to work through the system is frustrating but it matters that there's accountability at every level.