A Hamilton County attorney was charged with forgery after an investigation found he allegedly forged a judge's signature on court documents, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Alan Norton, 45, faces a felony charge of forgery and a misdemeanor charge of criminal simulation.

Norton turned himself in at the Rhea County Jail on Wednesday, after a grand jury there returned an indictment Tuesday, according to a news release from the TBI.

Jail records show he was released on a $15,000 bond.

Norton is the attorney representing former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy on criminal charges alleging she entered false information related to her residency on official documents.

(READ MORE: Chattanooga police chief claims conflicting residency in Atlanta, Chattanooga)

WHAT HAPPENED?

The district attorney in Tennessee's 12th judicial district, Courtney Lynch, asked the TBI to investigate allegations that the signature of a 12th district judicial chancellor had been forged.

Agents found information that identified Norton as the person responsible for the forgery, according to the news release.

The indictment identified Chancellor Melissa Willis as the person whose signature was forged. Willis did not authorize the documents, according to the indictment.

The alleged forgery took place on chancery court orders filed between June and September, indictment documents show.

The district covers Rhea, Marion, Bledsoe, Grundy, Franklin and Bledsoe counties.

Contact Ellen Gerst at [email protected] or 423-757-6319.