Former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy faces forgery, perjury charges after abrupt resignation

A former Chattanooga Police Department police chief faces a set of felony and misdemeanor criminal charges following an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. According to the Chattanooga Mayor's Office, Celeste Murphy, a 25-year law enforcement veteran, resigned on Wednesday, June 26.

In April, TBI investigators began investigating the home of Murphy at the request of District Attorney General Pro Tem, D. Michael Dunavant. During the investigation, agents determined Murphy knowingly entered false information on several government documents related to establishing residency in Chattanooga, though swearing to their truth in signing the documents, said a TBI news release.

On Tuesday, the Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a 17-count indictment, charging Murphy with one count of illegal voter registration, one count of false entries on official registration or election documents, three counts of false entries in governmental records, three counts of forgery, three counts of perjury, and six counts of official misconduct.

According to TBI, Murphy turned herself in at Hamilton County Jail on on Thursday, June 27. She was released after posting a $19,000 bond.

Celeste Murphy made history as Chattanooga's first female police chief

Appointed police chief in 2022, Murphy made history as the city's first female police chief. According to a news release, she previously served as deputy chief of the Community Services Division. Murphy succeeded Eric Tucker, who served as interim chief following the retirement of David Roddy.

Before arriving to Chattanooga, Murphy rose through the ranks at the Atlanta Police Department, said the news release, serving in multiple positions including patrol officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major and deputy chief.

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana