Today, six city employees were placed on administrative leave with pay pending the conclusion of a criminal investigation by the Knoxville Police Department into alleged misappropriation of city property.

The six employees work at the Solid Waste Management Facility.

This facility collects garbage and scrap metal from citizens and contractors and transfers it to various landfills or recycling centers.

The employees placed on leave are John Bailey, Supervisor, Lynn Bell, Lonnie Corum, Doug Pinner, Ronnie Smith and Tim Jones.

When the investigation is completed the matter will be referred to the District Attorney General's Office.

"As soon as we were informed that there might be a problem, we turned it over to the police department for a full investigation," said Mayor Bill Haslam. "This is a serious matter and we will take whatever action is appropriate based on the outcome of the investigation."

The Waste Management Facility will be open and operating during normal business hours. In the absence of some of the regular crew, other trained city employees will staff the center.