Smith
Imagine being comfortable enough at 201 Poplar to commit a crime inside 201 Poplar. Warren Percy Smith was, apparently.
The Millington man has 80 criminal convictions stretching back to 1988. He was convicted Thursday of molesting a court clerk in the lower level of the Walter L. Bailey, Jr. Criminal Justice Center — 201 Poplar — a sort of one-stop shop for criminals with cops, courtrooms, judges, and a jail.
A 25-year-old employee of the General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office was talking with someone, according to information from Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich’s office, when Smith came up behind her. He “grabbed her and went through the motions of performing a sexual act.”
[pullquote-1] Smith left the building. But the victim reported the incident to police who later saw Smith in clothing described by the victim. A deputy recognized Smith, “who is a regular in and around 201 Poplar, and the victim later identified him in a photo spread.”
Google Maps
The Shelby County Criminal justice Center at 201 Poplar.
The incident occurred in December 2017. On Thursday, a jury took less than 30 minutes to convict Smith. He is being held on $35,000 bond and faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced on May 24th by Judge Jennifer Mitchell.
Since 1988, Smith has been arrested and convicted of 78 previous criminal offenses, including 75 misdemeanors and three felonies. The offenses include public intoxication, theft, criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, assault, and resisting official detention. Smith also has felony convictions involving cocaine trafficking and aggravated burglary.
