Cousin of Embattled Rutherford County Sheriff Loses His Badge

MURFREESBORO, TN — The cousin of jailed and suspended Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold has been fired from the department. Deputy James Vanderveer — whose father, John, is one of Arnold's co-defendants in the federal JailCigs fraud and conspiracy case — was fired Wednesday after crashing his patrol car in December.

The younger Vanderveer, though not part of the JailCigs case, has nevertheless been a source of controversy. A lawsuit was filed alleging he pepper-sprayed a handcuffed inmate. He was also one of the deputies who responded to Arnold's home over Labor Day weekend for a domestic violence call in which no paperwork was filed. That incident, in part, led to Arnold's pre-trial release being revoked. Arnold remains jailed in Kentucky ahead of his February court date.

Chief Keith Lowery, who is acting as sheriff until the county commission appoints a new acting sheriff, told WSMV he is not playing favorites while he leads the department.

“I don’t believe in favoritism. I believe in fair and equitable treatment. I think we’re all held to the same standard, and that’s the way it should be,” he said.