US attorney hires more — but says help still needed with Task Force caseload
Michael Dunavant speaks Dec. 12, 2025, during the Department of Justice Investiture Ceremony making him the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant has spoken about the need for additional staffing in his office, particularly since the arrival of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
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Memphis Safe Task Force U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney for the Western DistrictAarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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