Shelby County General Sessions Judge John Donald is set to retire next month after 35 years on the bench. 

He said policing has been his ministry. “I’ve always had a heart for helping those that really could not make that next step by themselves, and they needed some assistance,” he said. “I love God, and I just feel like His hand has been over me to drive that badge forward in a ministry type way.”

The Fourth Unity Walk comes after a year of unprecedented violence that saw 2020 become the deadliest year on record for Memphis, with 332 homicides. And 2021 is on path to continue that trend.

Leon Gray, special assistant to Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael, died Friday, June 11. He worked in television and radio and was well known in the community.

Gadson “Will” Perry, a Memphis lawyer, has been appointed as the new Shelby County Chancery Court judge in Memphis. 

The trial for state Sen. Katrina Robinson and two others has been postponed after attorneys told the court they need more time to prepare.

George “K-Rack” Johnson, 46, was booked in the Shelby County jail Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor assault.

Sherra Wright wants a judge to toss her 2019 guilty plea in connection with the slaying of her ex-husband, former NBA star Lorenzen Wright. 

State Sen. Katrina Robinson and two co-defendants are facing trial on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The case is separate from allegations that Robinson stole more than $600,000 from her business, The Healthcare Institute.

Collierville detective Madison Zuck graduated from the National Forensic Academy. 

MPD veteran Don Crowe has been promoted to assistant police chief. He will be second in command under new Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, who starts June 14. 

Transparency advocates say reforms are needed to make police body camera footage less expensive, more accessible to the public.

Related article:

Lack of Transparency: Bodycam footage often costly, heavily edited and takes months to get

Police bodycam programs were created to promote transparency and build public trust, yet high costs and long waits for heavily edited footage makes those programs a ‘bait and switch,’ critics say.

Related story:

Critics advocate reforms to limit bodycam fees and redactions

A new Shelby County Youth Assessment Center is slated to open in July at the former Raleigh library. The county will operate the center. 

Police issued an arrest warrant Friday, June 4, on a charge of assault against the crew worker who berated and threatened Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer Tuesday in Health Sciences Park. 

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan ruled state prosecutors can hire an expert in the Pervis Payne case to determine if the death row inmate an intellectual disability.

Paul Whited, a choir teacher at Bartlett High School, has been indicted on a theft charge, accused of stealing at least $6,900 in choir fees. 

U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald plans to semi-retire by taking senior status on the court. She will still hear cases as a senior judge, but President Joe Biden will name a nominee to replace her. 

After a bullet shattered her jaw during a robbery, Alexis Chambers had to learn how to talk again.

Turner’s case was one of hundreds delayed when the coronavirus pandemic shut down Shelby County Criminal Court trials last year.

As the pandemic hobbles on, clients have filed a record number of orders of protection for situations that were “more violent than ever.”

Former executive director of Memphis charter school indicted on theft and forgery charges after she was accused of stealing $4,500 from the now closed school. 

Memphis police officer Scotty Triplett was killed in a crash Saturday afternoon in Hickory Hill. 

Fewer than 10% of detainees at 201 Poplar have been vaccinated and criminal justice advocates have filed a motion asking the court to get the Sheriff’s Office to do more to implement a vaccination program — one of the terms agreed upon in a lawsuit settlement agreement. 

A Memphis police officer, who was moonlighting as a Lyft driver, has been charged with raping and kidnapping a passenger. Travis Pride, an officer for three years with MPD, has been relieved of duty while police investigate.