KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two months after issues at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center were brought to light, the center's namesake is speaking out.
In May, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs claimed two employees at the center, a nurse and an IT specialist, had been fired by then superintendent Richard Bean, in retaliation for reporting issues at the facility.
In a letter to Governor Bill Lee, Jacobs stated that he learned there were issues at the center with medication going missing, issues with medication reporting, a lack of medical protocols and documentation, and even medication going to the wrong detainees.
Bean said there were other reasons why the employees were fired, but he did acknowledge that the center had "lost a few pills."
"The nurse hadn't spoken to me in seve