An alleged break-in of the Bledsoe County Election Office in the courthouse is under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the local Sheriff’s Department.

According to a report by Deputy Carl Reed, Election Administrator Lisa Wheeler found the door to her office unlocked after returning from the Fourth of July holiday weekend on Tuesday, July 6. In the report, Wheeler told the officer she and her assistant made sure the door was locked and secure when they left Friday evening, July 2.

Wheeler said nothing was missing from the office, but the curtain taped to the door was lying in the floor.

Bledsoe County Mayor Gregg Ridley said the TBI is currently reviewing the security cameras located in the upstairs hallway to see if anyone was in that part of the building or entered the Election Commission office over the long weekend.

According to Election Commission Chairman Wade Kelly, this was not the first time the office has been found open since the new administrator was appointed. The first time, he said, some items disappeared but reappeared later. Since that time, the lock on the door has been changed and will be changed again because of the latest incident. Wheeler will be the only one to have a key to the office, he noted.