- FAST FACTS:
- Councilwoman Janis Fullilove has bonded out of jail
- Councilman Bill Boyd says she was aware of her pending arrest
- Fullilove faces jail time if convicted
tom.powell@wreg.com, or twitter.com/tompowell3
(MEMPHIS July 8, 2009 8:20 PM) -- Councilman Bill Boyd says he noticed there was something different about Councilwoman Janis Fullilove at Tuesday night's council meeting.
"That concerned me so I asked one of her friends who was there and they said she had gotten word that this was coming down," says Boyd.
By "this," he means the indictment charging Fullilove with driving while her license was suspended. She's also accused of lying to obtain a duplicate license.
During Tuesday's meeting Fullilove was scolded several times by Council Chairman Myron Lowery to stay on topic. One moment she would be talking about the Mayor's pending retirement, the next she would turn to something different entirely.
"And I see Councilman Boyd is sitting over there trying to roll his eyes at me, but that's alright. I love you Bill Boyd. Oh, I love you Bill Boyd," she said.
At another point in the meeting she singled Boyd out again. "Because you told me you were going to come pick me up when I needed you to come," she said. Chairman Lowery again asked her to stay on topic.
Earlier upstairs during a different council meeting Councilwoman Fullilove became so frustrated she stormed out of the conference room. We asked her what was wrong, but she didn't want to comment.
Councilman Boyd says it's clear now the impending indictment was weighing on her mind.
District Attorney General Bill Gibbons addressed the indictment Wednesday. He says Fullilove will receive the same treatment as any other citizen. He says often in these types of cases his office reaches out to the defense attorney to make an "offer." Whether that "offer" will include jail time, Gibbons would not say.
If convicted, Fullilove could spend eleven months and 29 days behind bars.
The Council does not plan on taking any action against her right now.
