A former Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer pleads guilty to using state funds for personal use over the course of several years.

District Attorney General Russell Johnson’s office says an investigation into former agent Travis Buchanan began in February of 2023 after TWRA officials noticed discrepancies in the amount of gasoline purchased for his TWRA-issued pickup truck.

Buchanan, who worked for the TWRA for 19 years, was caught on surveillance using a state credit card to purchase more gasoline than his truck would use.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation then began surveillance of Buchanan, which documents repeated trips to a Morgan County gas station to fill up several gas containers in the back of his truck.

This resulted in him being indicted in September of 2023.

He was sentenced to six years probation and required to make an immediate restitution payment by certified check to TWRA in the amount of $46,000.

He also forfeited all rights to any pension funds and annuities that accumulated through the state retirement system, and he is barred from employment with the State of Tennessee.