A criminal investigation is now targeting a board member whose role was to review punishment for crimes in Memphis, Tennessee (WMC).
Vanessa Murtaugh, the chair of the Tennessee Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board, faces charges of aggravated statutory rape and statutory rape by an authority figure.
On Monday, Murtaugh was taken into custody and later booked into Shelby County Jail. He was required to post a bond of $50,000.
The board has the responsibility of evaluating the warden’s decisions regarding the granting, denial, and withdrawal of inmate sentence credits based on good behavior within the institution. It also assesses whether previously awarded sentence credits should be revoked due to the inmate’s involvement in a serious offense classified as a Class A disciplinary offense by the department or their refusal to participate in an assigned task.
Murtaugh gained experience as an assistant district attorney while serving at the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.