MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Former Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson has avoided trial on charges of official misconduct.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin Tuesday, February 19. Instead, the judge ordered one year diversion for Jackson, meaning his record will be cleared of the charges at the end of his sentence provided he does not incur any new charges.
Jackson was indicted on four counts of official misconduct. In 2011, workers in the clerk's office accused the former University of Memphis basketball star of forcing them to raise and donate money to his 2012 re-election campaign. Investigators found employees were fundraising while on the clock.
Four months ago, Jackson was presented with the same offer but decided against taking diversion, and refused to follow the judge's orders when asked to raise his right hand to state under oath he wanted to go to trial. His bizarre court behavior came just days after he filed paperwork claiming to be a 'sovereign citizen' and exempt from federal, state and local law.
Had Otis Jackson been convicted by a jury on all counts, he would have faced up to 6 years in prison and $12,000 in fines.
