SELMER, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – The police chief of Selmer, Tennessee, and his son have been charged in a theft case, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Monday, a McNairy County Grand Jury indicted Selmer Police Chief Elmer Neil Burks with one count of official misconduct and one count of theft of property under $1,000. Chief Burks was booked into the McNairy County Jail and released on $5,000 bond.
Chief Burks’ son, Michael Burks, is charged with one count of theft of property and two countsof tampering with evidence.
The TBI says December 11, 2019, District Attorney General MarkDavidson requested the TBI investigate the theft of a cell phone held as seizedproperty by the Selmer Police Department. Agents say Chief Burks took the cellphone. When a search warrant was executed at Chief Burks’ home, they say theyfound the phone in Michael Burks’ bedroom closet.
While TBI agents were at the home, they say Michael Burks tookproperty that belonged to an agent, then let them know he would not return it.Selmer Police officers conducted a traffic stop and retrieved the property,arresting Michael Burks.