Following Winchester Parks and Recreation Director Darrell Jolley’s brief suspension for infractions identified in a Tennessee Comptroller’s investigation, the City of Winchester has now confirmed that several additional incidents occurred during the same time period.
Despite the unusual nature of the findings, officials say the matter has been “handled appropriately,” with Jolley receiving an additional three-day suspension with pay.
According to a supplemental memo released Monday, the Comptroller’s office documented “a pattern of unorthodox decision-making” within the department over the past year. The city’s response mirrors its earlier statement, noting that each situation has been “addressed through internal procedures” and that corrective measures are “well underway.”
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Use of Municipal Facilities for Experimental Purposes
Investigators noted that Jolley conducted a series of “unauthorized experiments” within city park facilities, including:
converting a storage shed into a “prototype raccoon observation lab”
installing a personal hammock inside the concession stand freezer
attempting to use the community pool’s pump system to “see if it could run a chocolate fountain”
The statement from the city acknowledges that these projects were “outside typical departmental expectations,” but emphasizes that no citizen was endangered, and that Jolley has been “counseled on appropriate use of scientific curiosity within park boundaries.”
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Operation of Heavy Machinery for Recreational Purposes
The Comptroller’s supplemental report also states that Jolley occasionally utilized city equipment—specifically a backhoe, a zero-turn mower, and one parks department truck—for what he referred to as “team-building joyrides.”
One incident involved Jolley giving rides to seasonal employees on the bucket of the backhoe “to boost morale.” Another involved creating an unofficial “parade float” using a mower towing three recycling bins.
The city’s release states that Jolley’s “enthusiasm for staff cohesion is commendable,” but that future morale-building exercises must “meet OSHA visibility standards.”
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Unauthorized Use of Park Wildlife
A third finding notes that Jolley temporarily relocated a city goose, transporting it in a city vehicle to “motivate younger employees to improve their handling skills.”
The city acknowledges this was “not ideal,” and that the goose has since been returned unharmed. A fifteen-minute online wildlife-handling refresher course has been assigned.
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Violation of the City’s Unofficial Armadillo Policy
Although there is no written armadillo policy on record, the report noted several “gray-area interactions” between the director and an armadillo found on playground premises.
The report states that Jolley attempted to create a “petting ambassador” out of the animal, which was later determined “not feasible.”
The city clarified that no formal armadillo protocol existed prior to this incident and has now drafted guidelines “to prevent future misunderstandings regarding wildlife employment.”
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City Response & Corrective Action
The city government issued a second, nearly identical statement emphasizing the director’s decades of service.
“Mr. Jolley has been a dedicated member of our team for 30 years,” the statement reads. “While some of his actions were unconventional, the city has taken appropriate corrective action and implemented new internal controls to ensure clarity moving forward.”
Among the new internal controls:
GPS tracking has now been extended to include not only all vehicles, but any equipment “larger than a rake.”
Playground wildlife handling procedures have been drafted and laminated.
All staff projects involving raccoons must be pre-approved by the Finance Department.
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City Leadership Maintains Support
Mayor Sean Crabtree reiterated his earlier position, stating that Jolley’s long service record “should not be overshadowed by a handful of misunderstandings, machinery misapplications, or wildlife-related learning opportunities.”
He added,
> “We believe in accountability, but we also b
elieve in perspective. The parks look good. He got a little creative. It happens.”
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