The Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission on Dec. 11, 2025, convened a decertification hearing to consider whether to revoke the certification of Roy Shepherd, a former Jackson County deputy, after the county terminated him following an incident in juvenile court on Jan. 27, 2025.

Department attorney Ashley Ball told commissioners the department's evidence will show that Shepherd, who was off duty that day, "brought a firearm into the courtroom" and later "lied by omission" when asked by the judge whether he had a firearm or a cell phone. Ball said Jackson County terminated Shepherd for "unbecoming conduct" and asked the commission to revoke his POST certification under POST Rule 1110‑02‑0.04213.

Defense counsel Dana told the commission that Shepherd has more than two decades of service and said the record contains "no recording, no transcript, no audio, and no documentary evidence" of the alleged misconduct in the place where such proceedings are normally recorded. The defense urged the commission to dismiss the complaint, saying Shepherd was not afforded a fair internal investigation before termination.

The department called Detective Shane Stanton of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office as its first witness. Stanton identified the county termination letter and a judge's letter as supporting documents. He testified the judge had asked, before proceedings began, whether anyone had weapons or cell phones; Stanton said Shepherd initially denied having such items, later admitted a phone (which was turned over), and that the judge made a finding that Shepherd had used his position to improperly influence the matter.

On cross‑examination Stanton acknowledged he served as a liaison between the sheriff's office and POST and was not the decision maker in termination. He said he had not conducted a full independent investigation, had not obtained sworn written statements from all courtroom witnesses, and had not sent Shepherd's phone for forensic analysis; he described receiving only a short video clip of the courthouse event.

Sheriff Marty Henson of Jackson County testified he learned of the incident by telephone from Judge Tiffany Gibson, asked supervisors to contact Shepherd and later served Shepherd with a termination letter. Henson acknowledged that the department did not open a formal internal‑affairs file prior to termination and that some personnel records and investigative documentation were incomplete. Asked about disciplinary standards, Henson said dishonesty and disrespect were "zero tolerance" in his view.

Commissioners pressed the sheriff on whether the judge's letter alone justified immediate termination without a full, outside, or forensic investigation. Commissioners also asked whether Shepherd was on duty, whether he wore a uniform that day, and whether courthouse security or metal detectors were in place; testimony indicated Shepherd was not in uniform and that no court security officer was present that morning.

Judge Tiffany Gentry Gibson then appeared remotely and was sworn. She confirmed there was no courthouse security that day and began to describe seeing Shepherd before court and the circumstances that led her to notify the sheriff. Her testimony continued after the portion of the record provided to reporters.

The hearing is ongoing; commissioners heard multiple witnesses and directed further questioning. No final POST decision or vote was recorded in the portions of the hearing transcribed here. The commission recessed briefly and resumed to take Judge Gibson's remote testimony.