Church Hill Mason Says Accused Scam Artist Scammed Him From Jail

Mugshot of Adam Knight

By: Nate Morabito | TriCities.com
Published: February 27, 2009

Church Hill, TN- The owner of a local business says a Tri-Cities contractor and self-proclaimed minister, who is already in jail for scamming people, is at it again. Pounders Masonry Owner Billy Pounders says Adam Knight owes him more than $21,000.

Since June 2008, Knight has remained under court-ordered work release at the Washington County Detention Center. Knight is currently serving 30% or about two years of a six-year jail sentence for writing worthless checks. However, although he spent his nights at the jail for many months, during the day he was allowed to work.

Pounders says that is how Knight tracked him down. Earlier this month, Adam Knight signed a contract agreeing to pay Pounders more than $20,000 in return for his masonry work. Nearly two weeks later, Pounders says that construction project is now on hold while he waits for his first check.

"He had no intentions of praying me,” Pounders said. “He's done this while he's in the Washington County jail. He's running the very same business he was put in jail for in their jail."

Although Knight has taken advantage of the jail’s work release program for several months, the jail stripped away that privilege this week. The decision came after Bristol, Tennessee, police served a 2008 outstanding warrant on the man Tuesday for contractor fraud.

"(Work release inmates) sign and state that it’s true that they have no pending charges or they have not committed any crimes,” Washington County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Gary Bradley said. "It's a privilege and once they violate any of those rules, they'll be back in jail."

After eight months of work release, Knight is now spending every minute of his day behind bars. In Billy Pounders’ mind, that is where Knight belongs. After all, Pounders says Knight sent him an email Monday, promising to pay the mason $8,500 to $10,000 by the next day. Pounders says Tuesday came and went with no sign of that cash.

"I could just choke him, but you know, unlike him, I really am a Christian,” Pounders said. "If this man changes, he'll have to do it from a jail cell. He has to be made to change. He's not going to do it on his own."