Felony charges have been leveled against Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss and his son, Anthony, charging them with theft for the mayor’s hiring of his son to maintain the city’s golf course.

The indictments were handed down by the DeKalb County grand jury Monday after they heard evidence uncovered during an extensive probe by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that began this past March. Along with the theft count, charging theft over $2,500, Mayor Poss has also been indicted on the charge of official misconduct. Both men have been booked into the county jail and are free on bond, Anthony on $2,500 bond and the mayor on $5,000 bond.

“During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that the two men were responsible for theft through the unlawful payment of wages from Jimmy Poss to Anthony Poss, from August 2017 through March 2018,” the TBI said in its press release concerning the indictments. The probe was a joint investigation with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

Mayor Poss had already been censured by the city’s board of aldermen for his handling of the hiring of his son, which he did without board approval. Anthony Poss was reportedly hired by his father to maintain the golf course and country club facilities owned by the city. However, members of the city board confronted the mayor, some noting there was no proof Anthony worked the hours for which he was paid. Others pointed out RiverWatch had been hired to do the same thing Anthony Poss was reportedly hired to do, making the hiring a duplication of services.

Mayor Poss did not show up for special meetings called by the city board, during which they ultimately decided to publicly reprimand him, stopping short of filing suit for repayment of the city money paid to Anthony Poss between August 2017 through 2018. The mayor did send a prepared statement to the board the night of the censure.

“I want the council and the public to understand that my only goal was to safeguard and maintain the equipment located at the golf course," he said in his prepared statement. "I want to assure you that it wasn’t a waste of the city’s funds because the equipment must be maintained and my son was the most logical choice. In hindsight, his hiring without council approving may have been a mistake."

The total amount he earned was $8,100.

The pair are set to appear for arraignment on Aug. 6. Mayor Poss is presently in the middle of a campaign for reelection.