Nashville Councilman Robert Swope admits to prostitution solicitation from 20 years ago

In a stunning admission from the council floor, Metro Nashville Councilman Robert Swope told colleagues Tuesday night that he was cited 20 years ago by police in Hamilton County for patronizing prostitution.

An apologetic and at times tearful Swope said he decided to come clean because a political opponent has "seen fit to besmirch my character and investigate my background, hiring investigators to literally go back decades into my personal private life."

Swope, who asked for forgiveness, was referring to his ongoing election for the District 20 spot on the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee. Swope did not mention his opponent by name, but he is running against Ron McDow in the Aug. 2 Republican primary.

"So that you don't hear this from anyone other than me first, please know this: In 1998, 20 years ago, as a young single man traveling on the road through Hamilton County, Chattanooga, I was given a citation for solicitation."

Swope said he was not arrested, taken to jail or booked, adding: "But through a series of court misunderstandings at the time, a warrant might still remain outstanding. I honest to God don't know at this moment."

Swope, who worked as Tennessee state director for President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016, made the admission late Tuesday night before the council was set to adjourn.

According to Hamilton County court records, Swope was charged with patronizing prostitution on Sept. 11, 1998. His bond was set at $1,000.

"I was aware of absolutely none of this until it was recently unearthed by a political opponent," Swope said.

Transit plan: Nashville councilman to unveil his own transit plan on eve of early voting for referendum

Swope, elected to his South Nashville District 4 seat in 2015, turned emotional as he told his colleagues how he has rebounded from the citation. As he teared up, several council members, including At-large Councilwoman Sharon Hurt and other members of the Minority Caucus, walked over to his desk to console him.

"In the decades since this long-forgotten episode, I've grown, met an incredible woman, gotten married, and I've tried to serve my community and my country as honorably as well as I could," Swope said. "This alone does not absolve my from my past transgressions, but my youthful indiscretions were just that — youthful indiscretions."

He said he in the coming days "you'll no doubt hear more details about a two-decade-old episode that bears little resemblance of who I am today."

Trump campaign: Nashville councilman worked for Trump campaign from beginning to end

"But for now, I ask for your understanding and your forgiveness," he said. "In return, I vow my continued service to this city despite the ambitions of my opponent."

Swope's election opponent, McDow, unsuccessfully ran against state Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, in the 2016 Republican primary.

Much of the council stood up in applause for Swope for his remarks after he was finished.

In an interview with The Tennessean, Swope said the solicitation citation occurred when he stopped at a gas station in Chattanooga during a trip from Atlanta back to Nashville 20 years ago.

He said a woman banged on his car window and solicited him.

"Out of complete curiosity, I said, 'How much?' The next thing I know, there's a blue light behind my truck. I get out of my car. They write me a citation ... and send me on my way," he said.

He said he showed up for court a few weeks later, but the court system had no record of him or the incident. He said he was told he could leave and that he never thought about the citation again until this past week.

"I'm going to get out in front of this. I respect my fellow council members far too much," Swope said. "I respect my wife, my family, and my constituents of this city far too much to let this come out without hearing it from me first."

Swope, one of the council's most outspoken conservatives, recently made headlines for unveling an alternative transit plan to the one outlined in the city's defeated transit referendum that included double-stacked interstates and autonomous vehicles.

Double-stacked interstates: Swope offers another Nashville transit plan: Autonomous vehicles, stacked interstates

In 2012, then-Metro Councilman Brady Banks — who also represented District 4 — was arrested as part of a Metro police sting operation in Nashville for patronizing prostitution. Banks was able to keep his council seat, but did not run for reelection in 2015.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennesesan.com and on Twitter @Joeygarrison.