NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Rutherford County Criminal Court Clerk's office tells NewsChannel 5 Investigates that prosecutors and defense attorneys for Kelsey Ketron are in talks and possibly close to reaching an agreement. The judge has called for a hearing two weeks from today, on February 24, to hear what they've come up with and potentially approve a deal.
If approved, Ketron would not go on trial on the 70 charges she faces. That trial was set to start in April.
Ketron, the daughter of Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron was arrested last fall on dozens of charges including fraud and money laundering. Many of the 70 counts listed in the indictment stemmed from her work with her family's Murfreesboro insurance business, Universal International Insurance.
Customers told NewsChannel 5 investigates they paid Universal for policies, but later discovered they had no coverage.
Ketron is also accused of stealing more than $65,000 from her father's campaign accounts for County Mayor and when he was a state senator as well as his political action committee.
Bill Ketron appeared with his daughter in court recently as the representative for Universal International Insurance which is also named in the criminal indictment. Both Ketrons entered not guilty pleas.
Two weeks ago, Ketron settled a related civil case with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. She did not admit any guilt in that settlement, but agreed to a "voluntary revocation" of her insurance license and agreed to pay a $23,000 fine.
