Indicted Shelby County judge tests positive for cocaine, prosecutors want bond revoked

Lucas Finton, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd was given her second public reprimand in late October. She has since been referred to the Tennessee General Assembly for further action, which could include removal.
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd was given her second public reprimand in late October. She has since been referred to the Tennessee General Assembly for further action, which could include removal.

Prosecutors in the case against Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd, who has been embroiled in controversy over the last year, requested she have her bond revoked after she tested positive for cocaine and alcohol, court records show.

Boyd, who is facing criminal charges for harassment and coercing a witness, was given a $5,000 bail when she was indicted in December. She has since posted that bail, which came with the condition that she would be regularly drug tested.

The motion for bond revocation came days after a joint committee of the Tennessee General Assembly voted to recommend her removal to the full House and Senate. During that committee meeting, a member of the Board of Judicial Conduct told members that Boyd had recently failed a drug test, even though she had completed a rehabilitation program in Georgia.

"On March 12, 2024, the defendant submitted to drug testing with pretrial services," the motion read. "On March 15, 2024, pretrial services notified the state and this court that defendant tested positive for cocaine and alcohol, as verified by official lab results through Averhealth. Therefore, defendant has violated the terms of her bond conditions by testing positive for an illegal substance, as well as alcohol consumption, while released on bond."

Boyd has received multiple reprimands from the board since being elected in 2022. The reprimands stem from Boyd soliciting money for a school using a picture of her in her judicial robe, allegations of harassing another woman, alcohol abuse, and having a marijuana and cocaine addiction.

More: TN legislative committee recommends embattled Shelby County judge be removed from office

One such reprimand required Boyd to receive treatment, which she did not enter into until after being criminally indicted.

Many of the accusations come from a woman who told the board she was Boyd's campaign manager. Boyd has since denied that she had a campaign manager, saying that the two women were in a relationship at one point.

Boyd has been suspended for months, still collecting a paycheck from the state, which the board has estimated to be about $17,000 a month.

Boyd's criminal case is making its way through Shelby County criminal court and is being prosecuted by Frederick Agee, district attorney for Crockett, Gibson and Haywood counties.

More: TN Supreme Court appoints judge to preside over Judge Melissa Boyd's criminal case

According to the board, Boyd would show up at the campaign manager's home and berate her. The campaign manager said Boyd tried to have her recant her statements to the oversight board, telling the manager to "shut up" and "not mess with her because she's a judge."

Boyd also would text the campaign manager information about the woman's divorce, the board said.

Though having the power to issue reprimands, the board can only recommend the removal of a sitting judge to the General Assembly, which has the power to remove a judge from office.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Indicted Shelby County Judge Melissa Boyd tests positive for drugs