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Election records of a September special election that put Ophelia Ford in a state Senate seat show that someone may have used the name of a man who had been dead for six weeks to vote. Ford, a Democrat, beat Republican challenger Terry Roland by 13 votes in a race in which 8,750 ballots were cast. The election was to replace Ford's brother John Ford, who resigned in May after being indicted on bribery charges. The name Joe L. Light was entered into the poll registration book during the Sept. 15 election at the Memphis precinct where Light was registered...

NEW YORK Results of a state senate election in western Tennessee have been thrown into doubt, and an investigation into voter fraud launched, after the Memphis Commercial Appeal uncovered proof that votes had been cast for dead people. The Sept. 15 special election to fill a vacant seat in the 29th state Senate District, which includes part of Memphis, had already drawn intense interest when the margin of victory was just 13 votes out of 8,750 cast. Democrat Ophelia Ford had edged Republican Terry Roland in the race to fill the seat previously held by Ford's brother, John, who was...

Republican leader calls former congressman's claim 'absurd'As a Shelby County voter fraud investigation lurches forward, former congressman Harold Ford Sr. isn't waiting for answers. Ford said Thursday he's opened his own investigation into allegations that two dead voters cast ballots in the September state Senate race that his sister, Ophelia Ford, won by 13 votes. Ford said he's not prepared to make any accusations, yet suggested evidence of any skulduggery will lead to Republicans, not his own Democratic Party. "It's gotten to (where people are saying), 'Hey, we're out here voting dead people.' It is clear that is not the...

E-mail: dstuart@wsmv.com The hiring scandal at the Tennessee Highway Patrol is now reaching all the way to the U.S. Congress. It has been uncovered that a trooper still working on the force was recommended by Congressman Lincoln Davis -- even though the trooper had a long criminal history. Officials at the Tennessee Highway Patrol hired Martin Estel Brown as a trooper in 2004 even though their own investigator recommended that he not be hired. In trooper Brown's personnel file, that investigator documented the following information about Brown's criminal history: * In 1996 he was arrested for assault and theft --...

MEMPHIS - A federal grand jury indicted three Memphis Police officers Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney's office believes Officers Adam Gagnier, James Fetter and Jennifer Vickery took thousands of dollars from drivers during traffic stops then planted drugs in the cars so they could make false arrests. Both Gagnier and Vickery have already pleaded guilty. "Miss Vickery feels like she's made some bad judgement calls and she's ready to cooperate with the government and put this behind her and go on with her life," says Vickery's attorney Milton MaGee. The officers seemed to have a nack for pulling over cars loaded...

2 Top Police Officials Resign in Tennessee NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 10 (AP) - The top two officials in the Tennessee Department of Safety stepped down Friday, a day after an investigation found 41 troopers and staff members had criminal backgrounds or past driving violations. Gov. Phil Bredesen announced that one official, Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips, would resign immediately and the other, Deputy Commissioner Tom Moore, would retire. The Highway Patrol, overseen by the Department of Safety, has been under fire for accusations of political favoritism and corruption. That prompted Mr. Bredesen last week to order background checks of all 855...

For the very first time, the informant behind the FBI's Tennessee Waltz sting is speaking out. Tim Willis was a friend of the Ford's and through that family, he gained access to powerful state officials. In the end, it was Tim Willis who was their downfall, helping the FBI nab them taking bribes. Now Willis says, there's another who took money. And, for the first time, the man who helped the FBI tape state and local lawmakers taking bribes is talking. In an interview with the Nashville Post, Willis says another lawmaker, Memphis state Rep. Ulysses Jones, took money too....