MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A former Memphis Police officer who had been charged with official misconduct has now pleaded guilty.
Eric Kelly, 50, was accused of having a sexual relationship with a homicide suspect he was investigating in 2018. The district attorney’s office says Kelly used city funds to take the woman out of town with him on an investigative trip.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office says Kelly has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of misconduct. The district attorney’s office says Kelly has been placed on judicial diversion for a year.
Kelly was indicted on three felony counts of misconduct last year. The district attorney’s office assigned a senior prosecutor to review every closed case Kelly had worked. The prosecutor reportedly reviewed 169 cases, but the district attorney’s office says the prosecutor found “nothing questionable or concerning about the strength of the cases or the validity of the convictions.”
Earlier this year, Kelly was hit with new charges after a woman accused him of stalking and harassing her.
Kelly retired from the Memphis Police Department at the rank of lieutenant in 2019.