Because the investigation was opened at the request of Johnson, questioning should be directed to his office, Susan Niland, TBI public information officer, said in an email correspondence.
 

Johnson confirmed in a March 8 email that the investigation remains ongoing but declined to respond to further questions, including whether all three departments were still involved in the investigation or reasons for the length of the investigation.
 

Don White, Lenoir City police chief, called the investigation “complex” when the News-Herald initially reported March 1, 2017, that a probe into Shubert Motor Sales was active. White said at the time that he hoped to release more information in the near future.