MEMPHIS
Ex-legislator goes to halfway house
Former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon has been sent to a halfway house in Memphis to finish his term for bribery and extortion in the FBI’s Tennessee Waltz public corruption sting.
With the 61-year-old out of prison, former state Sen. John Ford is the only person convicted in the Waltz probe still in prison.
Federal prison officials told The Commercial Appeal that Dixon was released Tuesday. He will serve the last six months of his sentence at a halfway house.
Dixon was sentenced to five years and three months in 2006. His sentence expires in February 2012, but with time off for good behavior his projected release date is June 24, 2011.
NASHVILLE
School nominated for national award
Six Tennessee schools, including Frazier Elementary in Dayton, Tenn., in Rhea County, have been nominated to receive the 2011 Blue Ribbon Schools award.
The national honor recognizes academic excellence in schools that either have performed in the top 10 percent in the state or made exceptional progress in academic achievement.
Winners will be announced next fall and honored at a Washington, D.C., ceremony.
The program is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education effort to identify the best school leadership and teaching practices.
ATLANTA
GBI: Video shows trooper shooting
A 30-year-old man charged with killing a Georgia state trooper after a traffic stop waived his first court appearance.
Gregory Favors is charged with killing trooper Chadwick LeCroy, 38, of Marietta, who was shot in the neck Monday night. Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said LeCroy was trying to stop Favors’ 2007 Mazda for having a broken headlight.
Favors waived his Wednesday court appearance. Attorney Michael Mann, who is representing him, described his client as scared but as anticipating appearing in court in January.
In an affidavit, the GBI said LeCroy’s dashboard camera shows that the officer walked toward the passenger side of the Mazda and that the driver leaned over and fired a handgun.
DALTON, Ga.
Citizens’ academy sign-ups are open
The Dalton Police Department’s 19th Citizens’ Police Academy starts Feb. 22, and applications are being accepted.
The academy will meet on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. for 10 weeks at the Dalton Police Services Center. Participants will receive classroom instruction, a chance to ride along with a patrol officer and the chance to see and use some of the equipment officers use daily, including firearms.
Applicants must be at least 21 and U.S. citizens and pass a background check.
To apply, get an application at the Police Services Center at 301 Jones St., go online at www.daltonpdblog.org or call Sgt. Barry Batchelor at 706-278-9085, ext. 113.
— Staff and Wire Reports