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 :
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November 2018
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Public Safety Kevin McKenzie and Montavious Smith will be in court next month after they were arrested at a Memphis mall over an incident that centered around a hoodie. -
Public Safety Trenary hearing closed due to security in other juvenile case, court says
Rinisha Wright, the 16-year-old girl charged along with two others in connection with the slaying of Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary, was back in court Tuesday but the media and others were barred from entering the courtroom as a security measure on another case, Shelby County Juvenile Court officials said. -
Public Safety Acting AG Whitaker announces ‘Memphis Strike Force’ plan
Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker visited Memphis Wednesday to announce a new initiative in which the Memphis Police Department will partner with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to form a “Memphis Crime Gun Strike Force.” -
Metro Sherra Wright gets September trial date for Lorenzen Wright’s murder
Sherra Wright, accused of fatally shooting her ex-husband, NBA player Lorenzen Wright, and dumping his body in a field in southeast Memphis in 2010, will stand trial for his murder in September.
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December 2018
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Public Safety ‘Focused deterrence’ crime-fighting strategy offers hope to ex-offenders
On a recent weeknight when most people were just getting home from work, nine men sat side-by-side staring into the faces of law enforcement and community leaders. -
Neighborhoods Memphis boy, 9, killed in crash of bus carrying Orange Mound youth football team
An early morning bus accident in Arkansas claimed the life of a 9-year-old Memphis boy and injured at least 45 others on Monday, Dec. 3, Arkansas State Police said. -
Public Safety January court date set for men charged in Wolfchase Galleria ‘hoodie arrests’
The two men charged in the Nov. 3 “hoodie arrests” at Wolfchase Galleria Mall will have their cases heard in January. -
Public Safety Shelby County Sheriff’s Office rolling out body cameras, dashcams
In January, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office are slated to be equipped with 300 body cameras the department purchased earlier this year. -
Public Safety Teen charged in Trenary homicide to be released from custody
Rinisha Wright, the 16-year-old girl charged in connection with the death of former Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary, will be released from custody, but details surrounding her situation are unknown because a hearing Tuesday at Shelby County Juvenile Court was closed to the public. -
Public Safety Sheriff’s Office hires consultant for juvenile detention center
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has hired a former U.S. Department of Justice monitor as a consultant to help ensure the detention center at Shelby County Juvenile Court stays on track even though the facility is no longer under federal oversight, said Sheriff Floyd Bonner. -
Public Safety DOJ report says Shelby County Juvenile Court still has problems
After six years of monitoring Shelby County Juvenile Court, a recently released U.S. Department of Justice report states that oversight at the court should have not ended because the agency is “deeply flawed,” enabling a “culture of intimidation” undermining due process for African-American children in the system. -
Public Safety TBI: Man’s gun in fatal officer-involved shooting was BB gun
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has determined the gun a man allegedly brandished before a Memphis police officer shot and killed him Thursday, Dec. 13, was a BB gun. -
Public Safety Pilot program aims to keep kids out of juvenile justice system
When the Shelby County Youth Assessment Center launches next year, it will be part of a cultural shift aimed at changing the way authorities respond to juvenile offenders. -
Public Safety Wilbourn gets 38 years added to life sentence in police killing
Tremaine Wilbourn, convicted last month of killing Memphis police officer Sean Bolton in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, had 38 years added to his sentence Monday, Dec. 17, for other charges in the case. -
Public Safety Prisoners in Shelby County jails can make free holiday phone calls
For 10 days during the holiday season, prisoners in Shelby County jails will get free five-minute phone calls to family and friends.
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Public Safety City, ACLU try to work out changes on surveillance consent decree
Both sides in federal lawsuit over Memphis police surveillance request a year to work out differences outside of court ruling.
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Public Safety Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn calls for forensic audit of her office
After finding checks stuffed in desks, no payments to agencies since 2016 and other issues, Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn calls for an audit of her office.
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January 2019
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Public Safety Federal government shutdown impacts Tennessee immigration court in Memphis
The partial government shutdown is impacting Tennessee's only immigration court – located in Memphis – and some immigrants may have to wait a year or two for their cases to be rescheduled.
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Public Safety Appeals court rules Tennessee punitive damages cap unconstitutional
The 6th Circuit Appeals Court has struck down a Tennessee cap on punitive damages related to a lawsuit filed in Memphis.
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Breaking News
Public SafetyTBI: 20-year-old man killed in Memphis officer-involved shooting
A 20-year-old man is dead after he was shot by Memphis police officers Wednesday night in Whitehaven during a domestic violence incident, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Memphis Police Department said. -
Public Safety Memphis homicides up 5 percent in 2018
Memphis reported 184 homicides in 2018, eight more than in 2017. The 5 percent increase is less than the record number of homicides in 2016, but authorities said one homicide is too many.
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Public Safety Monitoring team overseeing MPD surveillance court case to launch website
A new website will give the public a chance to weigh in on the city's progress in meeting court-ordered reforms resulting from its violation of the 1978 consent decree over political surveillance.
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Public Safety Charges dismissed in hoodie incident at Wolfchase Galleria
Charges have been dropped in a "hoodie arrest" incident at Wolfchase Galleria last year, with the two men charged ordered to pay court costs.
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Public Safety Civil trial in Darrius Stewart fatal shooting set to start Feb. 25
The family of Darrius Stewart filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Memphis, the officer who killed the 19-year-old and the former head of the Memphis Police Department. The trial is set to start next month in federal court.
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City of Memphis Police, fire unions want sales tax hike to fund restoring their benefits
Memphis police and fire unions are again seeking to increase the sales tax rate by half a cent to restore their benefits and pensions, but also to help pay for road repairs and pre-K programs.
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