Former Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty To Official Misconduct

     Sept. 24, 2021 – A former Memphis police sergeant pled guilty Thursday to one count of official misconduct stemming from acts related to his employment in 2018, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Eric Kelly, 50, pled guilty to the misdemeanor count in Criminal Court and was placed on judicial diversion for one year. The settlement was approved by both sides and accepted by the judge.

   The basis for Kelly’s plea was as follows:

   In 2018, while investigating a murder case, Kelly developed and engaged in a sexual relationship with a female co-defendant in the case. Kelly used city funds to take the female out of town on an investigative trip. This conduct violated MPD policy as well as the laws of the State of Tennessee.

    In 2020, in response to this conduct by Kelly, DA Weirich assigned a senior prosecutor to review every closed case Kelly had worked. The prosecutor reviewed 169 case - ranging from driving offenses to murder - and found nothing questionable or concerning about the strength of the cases or the validity of the convictions. 

     Kelly retired from the Memphis Police Department at the rank of lieutenant on Nov. 8, 2019.

   The misconduct case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Byron Winsett of the District Attorney’s Public Corruption and Economic Crimes Unit.