W.D. Merritt, former MPD homicide detective, remembered as ‘true hero’
Family members on social media attributed the retired homicide detective’s death to COVID-19 complications. He was 56.
Yolanda Jones
Reporter
Yolanda Jones covers criminal justice issues and general assignment news for The Daily Memphian. She previously was a reporter at The Commercial Appeal.
There are 774 articles by Yolanda Jones :
-
July 2020
-
Public Safety -
State Government FBI searches Sen. Katrina Robinson home a second time
The FBI searched state Sen. Katrina Robinson's home Tuesday for a second time. Authorities provided no details about why they were searching the home.
-
Public Safety Vandals target homes of county officials
Authorities are investigating after, police say, vandals targeted the homes of Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and County Commissioners Mark Billingsley and Amber Mills Tuesday, July 28.
-
Update
Public SafetyKatrina Robinson charged with theft, embezzlement
State Sen. Katrina Robinson has been charged with theft and embezzlement and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant.
-
State Government State senator Katrina Robinson indicted
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against state Sen. Katrina Robinson on charges of theft and embezzlement involving government programs and wire fraud.
-
Public Safety DA says no new DNA evidence in 1987 murder case, asks court to deny petition
Evidence from a different case was incorrectly used to seek DNA testing for a Shelby County man on death row, and the petition for testing should therefore be denied, Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich said Thursday, July 30.
-
-
August 2020
-
Voting goes slow and smooth at Riverside MB Church
Jerry Rivers, wearing his Dallas Cowboys face mask, said it took him only a few minutes to vote Thursday morning at Riverside Missionary Baptist Church in Whitehaven. -
Avoiding the early voting crowds
Deborah Alexander was nervous about crowds during early voting, so she waited until Thursday to cast her ballot in person. -
Public Safety Operation LeGend to bring added resources to fight violent crime
Forty federal agents will be deployed to Memphis as part of Operation LeGend, a federal initiative designed to fight violent crime, officials announced Thursday, Aug. 6.
-
Public Safety Judge denies release of medically vulnerable detainees
U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman denies temporary restraining order seeking release of medically vulnerable and disabled detainees from the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar.
-
Public Safety Memphis officer brightens day for Whitehaven parkgoers during pandemic
Memphis police officer LaTica Bennett has been assigned to patrol David Carnes Park in Whitehaven during the pandemic. She took it upon herself to personally greet those in the park every day.
-
Public Safety DeCarcerate Memphis group speaks out against Operation LeGend
DeCarcerate Memphis, a local task force made up of community leaders, activists and clergy, voiced its opposition to the federal Operation LeGend that is bringing 40 federal agents to the city.
-
Public Safety Prosecutors say they have 20,000 documents as evidence in Katrina Robinson case
The state senator is accused of embezzlement and wire fraud in connection with her business, The Healthcare Institute.
-
Public Safety First Memphis police officer dies of COVID-19 complications
Memphis police officer Bobby Montgomery worked for MPD for 17 years and was remembered as a "gentle giant" who loved the community and being an officer. He died Sunday, Aug. 16 of complications from COVID-19.
-
Premium
Public SafetyActivist claims MPD placed camera outside family’s house
Union and community activist Antonio Cathey alleges the Memphis Police Department is spying on him after he discovered a camera outside his grandmother’s house.
-
Public Safety Judge says MPD did not comply with social media sanctions
Judge rules that Memphis Police Department did not comply with social media sanctions when conducting online searches during police investigations.
-
Public Safety Shelby County criminal trials suspended indefinitely because of COVID-19 concerns
Shelby County Criminal Court jury trials had been set to resume Aug. 31 have been suspended indefinitely. Judges will monitor the situation on a month-by-month basis to see when trials can resume.
-
Public Safety Juvenile homicides on the rise in Memphis
Twenty-four juveniles have been killed to date in the city compared to 16 all of last year. Police and the community are grappling with the rise in violent deaths.
-
Public Safety Plans for new youth detention center up in air amid talk of renovation
Shelby County officials, who last year approved funding for preliminary work to build a new juvenile detention facility, are now exploring alternatives such as renovating a closed youth facility in Southeast Memphis.
-
Public Safety Officer at county juvenile detention center tests positive for COVID-19, commissioner says
County commissioner says officer at juvenile detention center tested positive for COVID-19.
-
Public Safety Mistaken-identity shooting sparks protest
Protesters gathered at a gas station in South Memphis to draw attention to the shooting a day earlier of a 17-year-old by the U.S. Marshals task force in a case of mistaken identity.
-
Public Safety Memphis municipal courts shut down over coronavirus concerns
Memphis municipal courts announced Thursday the suspension of all in-person court cases because of COVID-19 concerns. Officials cited the high volume of people coming to the Walter Bailey Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar.
-
Public Safety President Trump pardons Alice Marie Johnson
President Donald Trump pardoned former Memphian Alice Marie Johnson the day after she spoke at the Republican National Convention.
-
Public Safety Weirich says no charges in police shooting of man with BB gun
The fatal shooting of Andre Horton by a Memphis police officer in 2018 has been ruled justified by Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
-
Public Safety NAACP, lawmakers and clergy urge Weirich to test DNA in Pervis Payne case
The NAACP, lawmakers, clergy and criminal justice advocates urge Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich to test DNA evidence in the Pervis Payne case.
-