Jason Duke
Fontana Dam – In light of recent legal troubles, a town council member has tendered his resignation.
Jason Duke’s exit from the board was agreed upon at the town’s July 21 meeting, which came after Duke was arrested on June 11 following an alleged multi-hour incident through the town’s resort.
Duke, 41, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of driving while impaired.
He will appear in Graham County court Monday, Aug. 16.
“Following the incident on June 11 involving myself, I feel that it is best that I step away from the council until all of this is cleared up.
“I do not wish to draw any more bad attention to a town that I truly love,” Duke’s resignation letter reads.
Duke will maintain his position as the operator-in-charge of the town’s water and wastewater plants.
Demolition began this week on the town’s old water plant, with the Tennessee Valley Authority funding the project.
The town will net $22,000 for clearing out the remaining water in the former plant. Duke worked to procure the surplus, which led to the council voting July 21 to awarding Duke with a $1,000 work-based bonus.