Resident urges Knox County review of mortgage filings and tracking of county property

Theodore Berry, a local resident, told the Knox County Commission on May 13 that the county's online Registry of Deeds access is valuable and urged officials to investigate what he described as questionable mortgage activity and gaps in accounting for county property.

Berry said the deeds office's policy allowing people to print up to 500 pages without paywalls makes the system "more transparent," and he asked that the county avoid imposing new fees that could limit public access.

He told commissioners he has seen multiple instances he believes are "federal mortgage fraud" filings in local deed records and asked for better collaboration between the Registry of Deeds, the sheriff's office and federal investigators. "I've spotted at least 5 instances of federal mortgage fraud," Berry said.

Berry also raised concerns about county property control and possible misuse of county vehicles. He said he has noticed county equipment and vehicles in private homes in other counties and suggested the county improve monitoring and auditing of county property. "I suspect there'll be fraud, waste, or abuse related to the lack of accounting related to where county property comes and goes," he said.

Berry asked the commission to consider system-level changes and said he appreciates the county's efforts to provide public records when requested. He also urged commissioners to visit the Knox County Jail and review policies on visitation and transparency after discussing a jail death and delays for visitors.

Commissioners thanked Berry for speaking and noted his requests would be reviewed in follow-up communications.

Berry's comments were delivered during the public-comment portion of the May 13 commission meeting; no formal action was taken by the commission in response during the session.