The rumors that there was still an outstanding warrent to be served in the Tennessee Waltz sting run by the FBI have turned out to be true.

According to breaking news on Memphis CBS affiliate WREG, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of long-time Shelby-county Democrat politician Michael Hooks in connection with the sting.

Hooks is currently the Chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. As to who this Hooks person is, I think an excerpt from a post last February covers it:

This, of course, is the same Michael Hooks that was arrested for drug paraphernalia in 2001. Somehow the two pots of boiling water and plate with traces of cocaine were swept under the rug — oh wait, that’s because county chief deputy Don Wright said not to do a search of the apartment and adjacent office. Wright was, after all, top assistant to Sheriff A.C. Gilless, who ran an incredibly corrupt department.

This brings the total number of arrests in the Tennessee Waltz operation to eight: 7 Democrats and a RINO.

Note that this is the first arrest at the local level — all others were in the state legislature. It would not be surprising if there were more arrests in Shelby County and even Memphis were to follow. (Rumor has it that there will be more in and around the city, but these are highly unsubstantiated.)

There’s nothing yet on the news station’s web pages and Half-Bakered (who is usually all over this kind of thing) hasn’t blogged since his computer blew up over a week ago, but the next couple of days should be interesting.

HT to AlphaWife who caught the breaking news broadcast.

Update: South End Grounds found the story on the Commercial Appeal’s site:

The indictment says Hooks received payment to use his influence to obtain county government contracts for E-Cycle Management,the bogus FBI company that solicited bribery charges against five current and former state lawmakers.

According to the indictment, when Hooks began meeting with representatives of the FBI sham company around August 2004, he told them “I’ve got a deficit. Are they dropping off any checks?”

That deficit, Hooks told them, was $38,000, and he told them he would need “whatever E-Cycle wanted to do.”

E-Cycle officials asked what Hooks could do for them, and he was told the company needed a long-term contract with the county to take away old computers, the indictment says.

The indictment says Hooks received $6,000 in cash on Sept. 7, 2004.

He got $10,000 on Sept. 16, 2004.

When told the next payment would be $6,000, the indictment says Hooks replied: “that motivates me and satisfies you.”

Finally, the indictment says that on Dec. 15, 2004, Hooks met with E-Cycle representatives – undercover FBI agents – who gave him $3,700 in cash in the bathroom at Earnestine & Hazel’s.