BLOUNT COUNTY — A wave of community support has surged across Blount County following the abrupt demotion of longtime School Resource Officer (SRO) head Officer Hollingsworth, who oversees the SRO program for the entire county and serves at Locust Fork High School.
The disciplinary action, ordered by Sheriff Mark Moon, included a written reprimand, a reassignment to general patrol, and a $4-per-hour pay cut. According to a public statement shared by Officer Hollingsworth’s daughter, Katelyn Rice, the conflict stemmed initially from a dispute over a patrol vehicle equipped with custom school branding—dubbed the “Hornet Mobile”—and deeper, unaddressed resource shortages within the department.
Rice clarified that her father did not seek out a public campaign and was prepared to quietly accept the demotion. However, news of the penalty galvanized the community, drawing widespread backlash from parents, students, and local residents.
The Blount Tribune reached out to Sheriff Mark Moon for comment regarding the disciplinary action and resource concerns, Here’s his statement. “The current vehicle Jason is driving is in rough shape and we’ve patched a lot of things together over the years in all of our rolling stock to keep vehicles running as long as possible because we don’t have the funds to purchase new ones. I was driving this silver 2020 model Tahoe that was low mileage for the year model. Someone close to Jason told me about another issue with his vehicle so I had an idea of giving him my silver Tahoe and having it striped in LF colors with some LF logos. It’s not a new concept there are SRO vehicles all over the country that are wrapped and marked up for their school. I got with someone that works at LFHS and asked for their logo design then took it to our vehicle detailer and had the stripes and logos put on. I was excited thinking he would be excited about it but unfortunately a day before I was going to present it to him someone shared a picture of it with him and he told his supervisor he didn’t like it and wouldn’t drive it. Now I will not discuss an employees disciplinary actions outside of their chain of command. However he was offered multiple times to get the vehicle and he declined. After disciplinary action was taken it was offered again to remain at his school. He refused. He was told if he has a change of heart over the weekend to let us know. And his car was not without ac for five years. Any major issue reported to our mechanic was repaired.
Decades of Service and Safety Concerns
Officer Hollingsworth is a founding member of the local SRO program with a 26-year career in law enforcement carrying a spotless disciplinary record free of write-ups. Despite this history, tensions boiled over when Officer Hollingsworth raised tactical safety objections regarding the newly branded vehicle.
Rather than objecting simply to the vehicle decals, Rice explained that the core concern was security. Operating an explicitly marked school vehicle during off-campus arrests and regular patrol work potentially creates a dangerous vulnerability. A marked car broadcasting a school’s name signals an officer’s precise location and schedule from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, five days a week, raising risks for both the officer and the students they protect. Furthermore, as head of the county-wide program, Officer Hollingsworth noted that leadership failed to consult him or value his input on department matters.
Unaddressed Resource Shortages
The disagreement also brought to light long-standing operational complaints within the department. According to the family, Officer Hollingsworth spent five years driving a patrol car without functioning air conditioning, repeatedly told by administration that the department “couldn’t afford” the repairs. Other SROs have similarly struggled with inadequate equipment, including subpar laptops that forced officers to drive back to the main sheriff’s office just to file reports.
Critics and community members have sharply questioned the department’s financial priorities, noting that claims of departmental poverty contrast heavily with other expenditures—such as expensive vehicle paint jobs and ongoing investments in technology like Flock safety cameras. Furthermore, because the SRO program is jointly funded by the County Commission and the Board of Education—neither of whom reportedly had a voice in Officer Hollingsworth’s demotion—questions regarding administrative transparency have mounted.
Call to Action
Supporters are now organizing to attend the upcoming Blount County Commission meeting scheduled for this Tuesday at 9:00 AM. Community members hope to address local leaders, voice their opposition to the Sheriff’s actions, and demand accountability regarding how department resources and personnel decisions are handled.
