Mark McDaniel has made news headlines in tennessee for over three decades.
“Jury awards $750,000 to traffic victim’s widow”
“Wrongful death damages awarded Wednesday to the widow of a man killed in a 1986 automobile accident in Jackson are the largest ever awarded in Madison County.” “The award jurors gave Mrs. Coppedge shows they understand that a man’s life can’t be gauged on the basis of income-tax statements alone, attorney Mark McDaniel said.”
- The Jackson Sun, (March 3, 1988) “Man acquitted of vehicular homicide in 2-death crash”
“A driver involved in a three-car accident that killed two people in 1996 in southeast Shelby County was convicted of reckless driving, but was acquitted of more serious charges of vehicular homicide.” “We believe it was just a tragic accident. A number of families have suffered tremendous losses, said defense attorney Mark McDaniel.”
-The Commercial Appeal (March 21, 1998) “Ex-officer placed on diversion in theft of $2,000”
“A former police commander charged with stealing $2,000 in undercover crime-fighting funds was placed on pre-trial diversion Wednesday, which could lead to dismissal of the charge next year. Defense attorney Mark McDaniel said Johnson wrongly deposited $2,000 in OCU funds in his personal account, but had no intention of keeping it.”
- The Commercial Appeal (July 26, 2001) “Germantown man gives up in standoff: Talks with his lawyer convince 54-year-old to come out of house”
“Mark McDaniel, an attorney who has represented Willis, was among those who talked to Willis by telephone during the negotiations. “He’s ok,” McDaniel said as he left the scene. “He’s been extremely depressed, and I was happy that he was willing to listen to reason and not cause himself any harm, and nobody got hurt.””
- The Commercial Appeal (January 11, 2005) “Diversion for dad who left baby in car:
Homicide charge may be dropped” “Mark McDaniel, McKim’s attorney, said Mia’s death was an accident. “Cases like this should not be prosecuted. My client is very much relieved and thankful that the Supreme Court corrected the abuse of discretion by the district attorney.”
- The Commercial Appeal (March 7, 2007) “Former Poplar Lounge owner admits bank heist”
“Mr. Drew is ready to make amends as best he can,” his attorney Mark McDaniel, said after the hearing. “He appears now to be thinking logically and not responding as someone would under the effects of a drug addiction.”
- The Commercial Appeal (December 11, 2009) “Germantown names prosecutor”
“The Germantown Board of Mayor and Alderman Monday night appointed Mark McDaniel the new police advisor, the role the Collierville prosecutor has already filled on an interim basis since Wyatt resigned in early March.”
- The Commercial Appeal (March 27, 2012) “Slain man’s mom ready to forgive -
Killer’s sentence 36 years” “Vacha “V Dog” Vaughn, 36, could have faced up to a life sentence for his long list of crimes, which dated back to his youth when he shot someone when he was 16. He got 36 years. Vaughn’s attorney, Mark McDaniel, had urged the judge to give the minimum sentence...due to the fact that Vaughn aided law enforcement officials as they closed the net around Craig Petties, a high level broker for a volatile Mexican cartel.”
- The Commercial Appeal (February 9, 2013) “Man gets 6 months for tanning photos”
“Prosecutor Abby Wallace asked Judge Bobby Carter Jr. to sentence Wright to just under five years in prison, while defense attorney Mark McDaniel asked for leniency. McDaniel said Wright is remorseful and is addressing his problems through counseling at Highpoint Church.”
- The Commercial Appeal (September 13, 2014) “Attorney Tells Inside Story:
How (Charles) Lord Avoided the Death Penalty” “Mark McDaniel, Collierville defense attorney for Charles Lord, convicted killer and rapist of Martha “Doe” Roberts of Eads, said Lord’s inability to be truthful and his continued admission of responsibility for her disappearance determined the best defense strategy early one. Thus McDaniel said he sought protection from the death penalty for his client”... “We got this exception because Lord promised to produce Mrs. Roberts’ body, McDaniel said.”
- The Collierville Herald, (October 28, 1993) |
“(Jerry) Lawler pleads no contest to
reckless driving in airport fracas” “Lawler’s attorney, Mark McDaniel, said Pegues’ injury claims were greatly exaggerated and not supported by medical records. “This is all about money. They look at Jerry Lawler and see a deep pocket” said McDaniel.”
- The Commercial Appeal (June 16, 2000) “Mark McDaniel Splits Time between
Town, Private Practice” “If you’ve ever been in trouble with the law in Collierville chances are you know Mark McDaniel. As city prosecutor, McDaniel takes time from his private law practice in Memphis to come to town and handle criminal proceedings in city court.”
- The Collierville Herald (July 2001) “Helpful dealer gets lesser term”
“Attorney Mark McDaniel, who represented another player in the organization, Tino Harris, called the group “one of the largest, if not the largest narcotics operations…in the history of West Tennessee.” “In June, Harris was sentenced to 12 years and seven months, and received a shorter sentence for cooperating.”
- The Commercial Appeal (July 2, 2005) “Elvis’ attorney jailed on child porn charges”
“His attorney, Mark McDaniel, asked the court to remember the good side of Smith. “It’s very troubling because Mr. Smith is a good man who made some serious mistakes and ventured over to the dark side,” said McDaniel.”
- The Commercial Appeal (September 22, 2007) “Embezzlement draws 33 months”
“A former payroll manager was sentenced Tuesday to nearly three years in prison for embezzlement and must make restitution of more than $285,000. “She is remorseful and was cooperative from the beginning of the investigation,” said her attorney, Mark McDaniel.”
- The Commercial Appeal (January 5, 2011) “Officers beat DUI charges:
Benefit in rejecting alcohol test” “In a large majority of circumstances, not taking the test is beneficial to the accused,” said Mark McDaniel, a Memphis criminal defense attorney as well as an assistant town attorney prosecuting traffic cases in Collierville, prosecutor for Oakland and Piperton and a legal advisor for Germantown.”
- The Commercial Appeal (October 21, 2012) “Couple plead guilty to animal cruelty:
Fines will help build Fayette shelter” “During the 30 minute court proceeding, defense attorney Mark McDaniel said his clients were “good, moral, and compassionate people” but that Mrs. Parr suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. Her husband has depression and anxiety. “They felt like they were rescuing animals but somehow it mushroomed to what it mushroomed into,” McDaniel said.”
- The Commercial Appeal (July 23, 2013) "Trial Court's decision to deny judicial diversion on two counts of Reckless Vehicular Homicide is reversed by Appeals Court"
Mark S. McDaniel and Kevin G. Patterson, Attorneys for Sherry Claffey, successfully appealed and obtained the reversal of a trial court's denial of their client's application for judicial diversion on two counts of Reckless Vehicular Homicide. Judicial diversion allows certain first time offenders to have their sentences deferred, and after a period of time, obtain the dismissal of their charges as well as expunction of their public record. The panel of three appellate judges all agreed that the trial judge abused his discretion when he denied their client's request for deferral of sentencing. The appellate court ordered that their client be placed on judicial diversion for five years. The appellate court further ordered that her driver's license, which the trial court had revoked for five years, be reinstated. The opinion of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, filed December 14, 2016, is attached: http://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/claffeysherryannopn.pdf "Do Personal Breathalyzers Give You a False Sense of Security about Your Drinking?"
Attorney Mark McDaniel tries hundreds of DUI cases that often involve breathalyzers and he said he has some concerns about these portable models. "The risk is far outweighed by the benefit of someone taking a personal breathe test device and then chancing whether or not they are stopped. They are going to driving under the influence," he said. Users may rely on the devices too much, he said and the readings won't hold up in court of law. "I do think it will give them a false sense of security, especially in cases where the personal breath testing device might be just under the legal limit," McDaniel said. He also pointed out there are several things that could cause misreadings with the breathalyzers. The instructions said you should not eat or drink alcohol 4 hours before testing. "People don't understand that alcohol will generally peak in your system 45 minutes to a half hour after the last drink," said McDaniel. - WREG Channel 3 News (February 2, 2017) |