Veteran Roane County Sheriff's Office detective resigns after DUI arrest

A veteran Roane County Sheriff's Office detective resigned Sunday, nine days after Knox County sheriff's deputies arrested him on charges of drunkenly driving on the wrong side of Interstate 40.

Gregory Scalf, a 43-year-old Harriman man who had worked at the Roane County Sheriff's Office for 11 years, was arrested in West Knox County just after midnight on Nov. 17.

E-911 callers reported a black SUV was driving east in the westbound lanes of I-40 near Watt Road, according to an arrest report. A deputy also reported seeing Scalf driving the wrong way.

A deputy tried to warn oncoming vehicles before several deputies stopped Scalf and noticed a "moderate" alcoholic odor "which intensified as he spoke," the report reads.

Scalf failed sobriety tests, according to the report. He was arrested and taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for a blood draw.

Scalf faces charges of DUI and driving on the wrong side of the road. His court date is set for Feb. 6.

Scalf had worked in law enforcement for 16 years, according to Roane County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tim Phillips. Phillips called Scalf an "outstanding employee" and a "great detective" who "served his community."