Former Jefferson Davis County Undersheriff T.C. Cooley has pleaded guilty in a Jefferson Davis County court.

After being indicted by a Jefferson Davis County grand jury, Cooley was arrested and booked into the Jefferson Davis County jail on June 30, 2022, and charged with two counts of tampering with evidence.

Cooley had been placed on administrative leave by Sheriff Ron Strickland on June 16, 2022, while being investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office regarding a case from January 2021.

The indictment handed down by the grand jury charged Cooley with two counts tampering with physical evidence. Cooley pleaded guilty to both charges late Monday afternoon.

The pleas were accepted by Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald  and the court found the defendant guilty of said charges.

For Counts I and II, Cooley received two years to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections with the entire period of incarceration suspended pending successful completion of a probationary period of two years. Cooley’s sentences for Counts I and II shall run concurrently.

Cooley was ordered to surrender any and all law enforcement certifications by agreement of the State and defendant.