Jackson mayor's chief of staff accepts plea deal in stalking case, supervised probation
Roland "Alex" Reed, former chief of staff to Jackson Mayor Scott Conger, took a best-interest plea deal Monday morning for his role in charges of stalking and the electronic tracking of a vehicle.
He appeared in Madison County Circuit Court on charges of stalking and the electronic tracking of a motor vehicle, both Class A misdemeanors.
Reed will be on supervised probation for 11 months and 29 days.
In a best-interest plea, also referred to as an Alford plea, the defendant maintains their innocence in light of accepting a plea deal without admitting that a crime was committed. Judge Kyle Atkins advised Reed that if future charges are brought against him, these prior convictions might warrant a harsher sentence.
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"I understand your honor, and I won't be back," Reed said.
A TBI investigation into Reed began in September 2023 at the request of Attorney General Jody Pickens, 26th Judicial District.
In a release from TBI, the investigation revealed that he had placed a tracking device on a non-consenting citizen's car in January 2023 and tracked it for some time.
Reed pled not guilty on April 5 and paid the $5,000 bond to be released from jail.
Meghan Fowler of the Tennessee District Attorney's General Conference stated the facts of the case, while Reed's attorney Tim Crocker attempted to shut the discourse down.
Fowler described the non-consenting citizen as once holding an unpaid position with the city she called "unapplied for."
At the time of Reed's previous court appearance on June 3, it was noted that discussions had taken place with the District Attorney of Chester County for Reed's electronic tracking of a motor vehicle in January 2023.
These adjacent charges he faced will be dismissed before or at his Aug. 15 court date in Chester County, according to Fowler.
Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing here.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson mayor's chief of staff accepts plea deal in stalking case
