A Chattanooga man has been arrested following a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into suspicious financial activity involving Chattooga County accounts, according to Sheriff Mark Schrader.
Sheriff Schrader said the GBI arrested Jonathan Wesley Allen, 52, of Chattanooga, on Friday, January 9, charging him with one felony count of theft by taking. Allen was booked into the Chattooga County Jail and is awaiting a bond hearing.
Allen is connected to Zentell Communications, LLC, a company Chattooga County sued in April 2025. According to the lawsuit, the county alleged that more than $333,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were paid to the company for work that was not completed. The lawsuit was first reported by AllOnGeorgia.
Sheriff Schrader said he requested the GBI’s assistance on March 17, 2025, after consulting with the county auditor and identifying what he described as potential financial fraud involving several county accounts.
Following the arrest, Schrader said he spoke with the GBI special agent assigned to the case and the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Both agencies confirmed that the investigation has concluded.
“Both advised that they had completed the investigation and review of the complaints involving those accounts and do not expect any further arrests concerning this investigation,” Schrader said.
The case will now proceed through the court system under the supervision of the district attorney’s office.