Rob Forrest, bodyguard who had affair with Mayor Megan Barry, pleads guilty to theft
Former Mayor Megan Barry's bodyguard Rob Forrest pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony theft after an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation into their affair.
Forrest pleaded guilty to theft of property over $10,000 and was given three years' probation.
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The plea was one development during a chaotic day in Nashville that also saw Barry plead guilty to a felony theft count related to the affair and resign as the city's mayor.
District Attorney Glenn Funk's office said Tuesday that Forrest admitted he had improperly received more than $10,000 in city compensation "for time he reported as work hours which were actually personal time with Megan Barry," according to a statement from the office.
As a term of Forrest's probation, he is required to reimburse Nashville $45,000 paid to him as salary, a sum that "represents an acceptable figure for his increase in hours and pay in contrast to other members of (Barry's) detail," according to Funk's office.
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As of late Tuesday, Forrest had not yet paid back the money, though Funk's office confirmed Barry earlier that day had reimbursed the city $11,000 — Forrest's Metro-funded travel expenses during the affair — that she was ordered to pay as her probation condition.
According to Davidson County Sheriff's Office records, Forrest was booked into the Metro jail downtown at 12:36 p.m and released from custody at 2:11 p.m.
At the request of Funk, TBI has closed its criminal investigation into Barry and Forrest, the agency confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
Amid news of affair, Forrest retired from police department
During Barry's time in office, Forrest earned over $170,000 in overtime, more than the combined amount of the other officers on the security detail.
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Barry admitted to an affair Jan. 31 with Forrest, who oversaw the mayoral security detail for 14 years.
He retired that same day after over 31 years with the department.
Forrest is slated to get a $6,691 monthly pension, or $80,303 a year — an amount that increased substantially because of the overtime he was paid, Metro Nashville records show.
If any of the ongoing investigations reveal he collected overtime improperly, then Forrest's pension may be reduced, according to Mark Young, a member of the Metro Employee Benefits Board and the president of the Nashville Fire Fighters Association, the local union.
"We’re charged to oversee the pension benefit. Of course we want to protect it, and if there’s anybody that's receiving a pension in the amount that they should not be, we need to fix it," Young said. "If it comes before us, I would be asking that his pension be adjusted to reflect the correct amount that he earned.”
Forrest accompanied Barry, with no other mayoral staff, on 10 out-of-town trips during the affair.
An affidavit made public last month detailed nude photos of a woman, who appears to be Barry. The photos were taken during two of the trips and had time stamps that corresponded to time when Forrest was on duty, according to payroll records.
If Forrest adheres to the terms of his probation, his guilty plea will be vacated and criminal record will be expunged, his attorney David Raybin said.
Reach Nate Rau at nrau@tennessean.com or 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.
Chief Steve Anderson's statement on Forrest
"Today’s conditional guilty plea by Rob Forrest and the associated statement of facts are indicative of his betrayal of the citizens of Nashville and the men and women of this police department.
"Forrest was in a unique assignment away from his chain of command on a daily basis. From all accounts, he had performed well in that assignment during the Purcell and Dean administrations.
"Forrest’s supervisors trusted him. We now know that he betrayed that trust during the Barry administration, leaving behind a sentiment of disdain among those who continue in their work with the Metropolitan Police Department.
"I am among those who share that sentiment."