NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Bryant Kroll wears a lot of hats.
He's the attorney representing the embattled City of Millersville. He also represents Mayor Tommy Long, who faces accusations of misconduct in an ouster suit. Plus, he's the personal attorney for Police Chief Bryan Morris and Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor, representing them in a lawsuit against the City of Ridgetop.
In addition, Kroll now admits he used his old law firm's accounts to generate research reports that have fueled some of Shawn Taylor's bizarre conspiracy theories — even as Kroll encouraged the Millersville Board of Commissioners not to hold a special meeting to investigate the city's so-called conspiracy cop.
Kroll insisted he sees no conflicts, although he admitted he now faces an ethics investigation by the state board that regulates attorneys.
"Is there a complaint against you with the board?" NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Kroll.
"Several," he admitted.
"On this issue of your representation of multiple people?"
"Uh-huh," he acknowledged.
"And what is the status?"
"The status of it is, it is pending, and it's going to take a long time for it to be resolved," he responded.
On Monday, NewsChannel 5 Investigates went to the Millersville Board of Commissioners to ask about Shawn Taylor's conspiracy theories. Last year, Taylor appeared on this podcast where he speculated that the Covenant School shooting was actually staged.
We never expected the city attorney to inject himself into the conversation.
NewsChannel 5 asked Mayor Tommy Long, "Does he not owe the Covenant families an apology?"
Kroll interrupted. "I thought he said he didn't know what to believe."
We turned to Kroll, "Are you representing him or the city?"
"I represent the city, Phil."
Kroll insisted none of his representations violate any ethical rules, claiming that the Millersville charter requires him to represent the mayor in the ouster suit.
The attorney behind that suit has filed a motion to require Kroll to drop out of the case.
After NewsChannel 5 Investigates raised concerns about Taylor's bizarre ideas, two commission members asked for a special meeting to investigate Shawn Taylor's hiring.
At this week's commission work session, Kroll complained about a NewsChannel 5 report titled: "Don't investigate my client, conspiracy cop's attorney tells his other client, the City of Millersville."
The attorney claimed he never encouraged the commission not to investigate Taylor.
"I never once said that," Kroll told NewsChannel 5 Investigates after the meeting.
So we read the words from his own email: "I strongly advise reconsidering the proposed course of action for scheduling a special-called meeting."
"Sure, did," Kroll admitted. "It's only my duty to advise them what the legal implications are."
We wanted to know, "What are the legal implications of not investigating him?"
"Not investigating him? He's already had his background check conducted. He's already passed the psychological assessment."
David Gregory and Cristina Templet were the two commissioners who asked for the special meeting.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates related, "I asked Bryant Kroll. I said, 'Isn't there a liability in not investigating?'"
Templet readily agreed with that notion, "100 percent."
We noted that Kroll denied any such liability.
"Of course not," Templet shot back. "He's a terrible attorney."
In the meeting Kroll also insisted that NewsChannel 5 was wrong when we reported Taylor's conspiracy theories have become a subject of interest in at least one of the lawsuits in which he represented Taylor.
"That's absolutely false," he insisted.
But NewsChannel 5 Investigates found another podcast video in which Taylor acknowledged that people representing the city of Ridgetop had been tracking his conspiracy theories — theories that, he claimed, led to him being fired.
"Just so you know, there's an attorney in Nashville that's been paying attention to these podcasts," he added.
And in another of his conspiracy videos, he showed a background check on one of the public officials he has targeted.
Zoom in, and you'll see it was run through "The Blackburn Firm."
That's Bryant Kroll's old law firm.
The owner of that firm denied any knowledge of those reports run by his former associate.
"This is highly inappropriate, a misuse of that research service and was done without my knowledge," Gary Blackburn said.
But in a text message, Kroll insisted those searches "directly related" to his legal work.
"Shawn Taylor was a consultant on numerous cases based on his expertise, and we also used him as a process server on numerous occasions," he explained.
"Those LexisNexis records are all public records that were accessed and utilized as part of the due diligence required of lawyers in litigation and in anticipation of litigation."
"You know that I cannot disclose the identity of clients and former clients without their permission, but they knew Shawn had the information at the time and expressly gave him permission to use it."
His text did not address the potential conflict of him advising the Board of Commissioners about conspiracy theories that may, in part, be based on his own research.
As for the commissioners who called for the special meeting to review Taylor's hiring, they worry their attorney is more concerned about protecting Millersville's conspiracy cop than he is in protecting Millersville.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "Should he continue as city attorney?"
"Absolutely not," Cristina Templet said.
David Gregory added, "No way."
"Major conflict of interest," Templet continued.
Again, Gregory added, "No way."
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Do you have information that would help me with my investigation? Send me your tips: phil.williams@newschannel5.com
Here is how this investigation has unfolded:
May 20, 2024: Meet Millersville's conspiracy cop. He imagines sinister plots involving some of the country's most prominent political figures. Taylor recently landed in Millersville as assistant police chief, promising to root out the corruption he sees there. You can continue reading at this hyperlink.
May 22, 2024: The controversy over Millersville's conspiracy cop has now become the latest scandal rocking the tiny town just north of Nashville. Now, two city commissioners want a special meeting to figure out how Shawn Taylor landed his job.
You can continue reading Part Two at this link.
May 24, 2024: An attorney for Millersville conspiracy cop Shawn Taylor has told Millersville's city commission, whom he also represents, that they should not question the assistant police chief's bizarre theories or psychological fitness.
You can read more of this installment at this link.
May 28, 2024: New podcast video, uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, reveals how Shawn Taylor spread false and dangerous conspiracy theories about last year's Covenant School shooting that left three students and three staff members dead. You can click here to review that story.
May 28, 2024: Anna Caudill agreed to watch the video of Shawn Taylor knowing there might be only so much she could handle. Among the three children and three adults killed that day was her friend, Katherine Koonce. You can read more of Anna's story by tapping on this link.
June 3, 2024: First, he went after Millersville’s former mayor. Now, the town’s assistant police chief says his two critics on the city commission could be next. Shawn Taylor made those comments as he turned to a group of far-right podcasters to defend himself. Tap this link to read from those Taylor's accused.
June 4, 2024: Millersville officials are standing with their assistant police chief and his bizarre conspiracy theories regarding Nashville's Covenant School shooting. Read how this meeting played out at this link.
June 5, 2024: Bryant Kroll wears a lot of hats. He's the attorney representing the embattled City of Millersville. He also represents Mayor Tommy Long, who faces accusations of misconduct in an ouster suit. Plus, he's the attorney for Bryan Morris and Shawn Taylor. To understand the role he plays, you can read that here.
June 6, 2024: In Shawn Taylor's world — in the immortal words of Taylor Swift — "I'm the problem, it's me." I explain how we got here in this piece, which you can click on here.
June 18, 2024: Millersville's conspiracy cop now has his very own conspiracy-minded attorney. Now, our NewsChannel 5 investigation has discovered that Todd Callender's own theories are sometimes even more far-fetched than Taylor’s twisted view of the world. Click here to read more about Shawn Taylor’s attorney.
July 15, 2024: What happens when you give people with bizarre conspiracy theories a gun and a badge? Secret recordings from inside the troubled Millersville Police Department provide a sobering answer to that question.
Read more on this investigation by tapping here.
July 22, 2024: In an explosive new development that could bring new trouble for the already-troubled Millersville Police Department, a key player in a child-predator sting says the lead detective on that operation lied under oath.
You can read more about that by clicking here.
July 23, 2024: District Attorney General Robert Nash has asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the Millersville Police Department's handling of a child predator sting, including possible perjury by the lead detective. You can read more about that by tapping here.
July 29, 2024: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has expanded its probe of the embattled Millersville Police Department, now looking into allegations that officials may have used sensitive law enforcement data to investigate their political enemies. Read more about that by clicking here.
August 5, 2024: With the Millersville Police Department now the focus of a TBI investigation, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered new questions about the stories that conspiracy cop Shawn Taylor tells about himself.
You can catch up on the investigation by tapping here.
August 12, 2024: In a perplexing pair of podcast interviews, the Millersville chief of police says the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has begun limiting his department's access to certain sensitive law enforcement data. Read more about this latest development here.
August 26, 2024: He has helped to fuel some of the wild conspiracy theories inside the troubled Millersville Police Department. He is a self-proclaimed pedophile hunter who believes America is controlled by what he calls "a satanic cult masquerading as Jews." Read more about Craig Sawyer by clicking here.
August 27, 2024: Craig Sawyer’s response to my investigation illustrates how conspiracy theorists frequently use wild accusations and blustery language to avoid giving real answers about their bizarre beliefs. Tap here to watch as we dissect his 90-minute diatribe.
September 4, 2024: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Millersville Police Department and Shawn Taylor’s home, executing a pair of search warrants as the criminal investigation into the troubled agency enters a dramatic new phase. Read more about this new twist in the Millersville investigation.
September 10, 2024: “No, a TBI agent didn't pee in Shawn Taylor's tub, agency says in response to Taylor's latest claim.” The headline says it all. Click here.
September 19, 2024: QAnon-aligned voices of the far right are threatening retaliation against a judge, a district attorney and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents for their roles in the recent Millersville raids. Details posted here.
October 7, 2024: A well-known Arizona election denier says his group — working through Millersville's conspiracy-minded assistant police chief — gained access to a highly confidential federal database that tracks Americans’ banking transactions and other financial data. Read the exclusive story here.
October 22, 2024: Two key GOP lawmakers – the chairman and a member of the state House committee that oversees the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation – recently warned the agency that it could face “unnecessary political fallout” if it does not end its criminal probe into the troubled Millersville Police Department. You can read the letter here.
October 24, 2024: A letter from two GOP lawmakers, which appeared to threaten the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for its probe of the Millersville Police Department, was the "wrong way to go," House Speaker Cameron Sexton said. But there is more to the speaker's reaction.
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