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A candidate for the Memphis school board was convicted on a felony drug charge while serving as a city police officer two decades ago, court records show.
T.L. Harris, who is running in the Democratic primary to represent District 6 on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with the intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine in 2006. Federal court records show that Harris, who was 32 at the time, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
The Shelby County Election Commission confirmed that Harris qualified to run for office after having his civil rights restored in a local court. Harris says he is a candidate dedicated to student safety with a history of working with at-risk youth at local nonprofit organizations.
“Every time I tell my story, I feel like I’m saving a young Black male or female,” Harris told Chalkbeat. “Because I’ve been in the belly of the beast, and I’ve come out of it, and that’s where I am now.”
Harris posted a video to social media this week discussing his criminal history after details of the federal case were posted on social media. While Harris told Chalkbeat he has long been open about his criminal history, he has not mentioned it in his campaign materials and called the resurfacing of his 2006 conviction a “campaign smear.”
Federal investigators began probing Harris’ financial records in 2004, when he was a Memphis Police officer, after receiving tips from Shelby County jail inmates about alleged narcotics trafficking, according to federal court records.
Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts in February 2006 after being caught helping a federal informant deliver a cocaine purchase in a sting operation, court records say. In October 2006, Harris pleaded guilty to a single count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine after helping federal prosecutors build a case against another Memphis cop.
Federal court records show that Harris was sentenced in 2007 to serve 51 months in prison and 60 months on supervised release after his prison sentence. His supervised release term was terminated early in 2013 after a supportive report from probation officials, who said Harris posed “no identifiable risk to public safety,” according to court records.
Harris says that voters in his district “respect and understand redemption.” Since he’s been out of prison, Harris said, he’s dedicated his life to serving children who grew up in poverty and facing hardships like he did.
“I can speak to these kids that are thinking about committing crimes, or they have committed crimes, to say, ‘Let’s get you back on track with your life,’” Harris said. “Who else can talk about that?”
Chalkbeat reporting also revealed inconsistencies in information Harris has provided to media and voters about his professional background and campaign endorsements.
While Harris initially told Chalkbeat he works at Walhaven Family Healthcare, he has alternatively called the business Whitehaven Family Healthcare and Memphis Family Healthcare in interviews and campaign posts on social media.
On Wednesday, Harris declined to provide details about the community healthcare center he says he leads as the chief financial officer. Businesses by those names do not have an online presence, and Chalkbeat has been unable to locate any records. Harris has not responded to follow-up questions.
Harris’ campaign has been endorsed by the teachers group Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, city council member Pearl Eva Walker, and labor union Memphis AFSCME Local 1733.
Maurice Spivey, a senior staffer at the local union, told Chalkbeat that Harris did not discuss his criminal conviction in interviews with AFSCME before receiving the endorsement. Charlotte Fields, president of M-SCEA, said the same. Walker did not reply to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment.
Harris’ social media campaign accounts also cite an endorsement from Keith Williams, the incumbent District 6 board member who is not seeking reelection. In a video posted last week on Facebook, Williams called Harris his “successor” at a campaign event. But Williams told Chalkbeat in a call Thursday that he hasn’t endorsed any candidate in the race.
Chalkbeat Tennessee Bureau Chief Melissa Brown contributed to this story.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.