Sheriff gets rival in GOP primary as filings for Shelby County Offices roll in

The Commercial Appeal, February 18, 1998
Author: Kriste Goad

Petitions for local elected offices continue to flow into the Shelby County Election Commission as Thursday's noon filing deadline nears.

Novella Smith Arnold filed Tuesday as a Republican candidate for sheriff, pitting herself against GOP incumbent A. C. Gilless. The winner of that primary will face either Melvin Burgess or Clyde Venson, the two declared Democratic candidates in the race, and Floyd Allen Jr., an independent.

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Burgess challenges a confident Gilless

The Commercial Appeal, February 12, 1998
By Kriste Goad

Despite troubles within the Sheriff's Department over the past two years, two-term Sheriff A.C. Gilless said he's more confident about a win this year than in his previous campaigns.

Former Memphis police director Melvin T. Burgess, who will enter the race today, said it will be a tough battle, but he plans to win by challenging Gilless's effectiveness at controlling his department and the Shelby County Jail.

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Mentally ill filling jails more than ever

The Commercial Appeal, February 8, 1998
By Shirley Downing / Reporter Michael Kelley contributed to this story.

A few friends buried Zygmunt `Ziggie' Karon on a cold, windy afternoon last week after a long wait.

Karon, 64, died after a heart attack in December during the last of many stays behind bars. He had been in the Shelby County Jail for 10 weeks that time, unable to make $100 bail on a trespass charge.

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