Criminal Defense
Arrested in Arlington or Lakeland? Your case almost certainly isn’t staying there. Unlike Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville — which run their own General Sessions dockets — Arlington and Lakeland are patrolled by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and state criminal charges arising in either town are booked and prosecuted downtown at 201 Poplar in Memphis. Brooks Law Firm defends DUI, drug, theft, and domestic assault charges from Arlington and Lakeland every week in the same Shelby County courtrooms where those cases land. Call (901) 324-5000 or call/text the criminal line at (901) 412-2973 for a free consultation.
Why an Arlington or Lakeland Arrest Ends Up in Memphis
Neither town operates its own police department. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Uniform Patrol provides primary law enforcement for both Arlington and Lakeland out of the SCSO Arlington substation at 11670 Memphis-Arlington Road, alongside the unincorporated areas of the county. When a deputy makes a DUI stop on Airline Road, works a domestic call in a Lakeland subdivision, or responds to a theft report near the I-40 interchange, the arrest is a Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrest — which means booking at the Shelby County Jail and arraignment in Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court at 201 Poplar Avenue.
Both towns do maintain municipal courts, but their role is limited:
- Arlington Municipal Court — Arlington Town Hall, 5854 Airline Road, Arlington, TN 38002 · (901) 867-2620. Handles town ordinance violations and traffic citations issued within Arlington.
- Lakeland Municipal Court — Lakeland City Hall · City Court Clerk (901) 867-2717. Established in 2018, it hears city ordinance and traffic matters, and the clerk’s office can assist with expungement of eligible municipal citations.
The practical consequence: a speeding ticket on Highway 70 may be a local matter, but a DUI, drug charge, theft charge, or domestic assault from the same stretch of road is a state criminal case headed for the busiest criminal courthouse in Tennessee. That is where your lawyer needs to practice — and where we do. See our Courts We Serve guide for how each West Tennessee court runs.
DUI Arrests in Arlington and Lakeland
The I-40 corridor, Highway 70, Airline Road, and the Memphis-Arlington Road connector produce steady DUI enforcement, and SCSO operates its own dedicated DUI unit. Tennessee DUI carries mandatory minimum jail time even on a first offense — 48 hours, or seven consecutive days at a 0.15% BAC or higher — a one-year license revocation, and a conviction that can never be expunged. Judicial diversion is not available for DUI. Those two facts alone make fighting the charge, rather than pleading to it, the only path that can keep your record clean: a charge reduced to reckless driving or dismissed outright can be expunged; a DUI conviction is permanent.
Every Arlington or Lakeland DUI defense starts with three questions: was the stop lawful, was the arrest supported by probable cause, and is the chemical evidence reliable and admissible? Field sobriety tests are voluntary in Tennessee, breath testing has documented error sources, and the implied-consent revocation runs on its own short administrative clock separate from the criminal case. Our Memphis DUI defense page covers the penalty structure, the ten-year look-back, and the case law we litigate — and if your license is the immediate problem, see driving on a suspended license and court-cost waiver and reinstatement.
Drug Charges
Simple possession, possession with intent, and delivery charges out of Arlington and Lakeland typically begin with a traffic stop — and that makes the stop itself the first battleground. Was there reasonable suspicion? Was the stop prolonged beyond its mission to wait for a K-9? Was the search consensual, incident to arrest, or supported by probable cause? A suppressed search usually ends the case. Charge level in Tennessee turns on the substance’s schedule, the quantity, and the State’s proof of intent — the difference between a Class A misdemeanor and a felony with intent to distribute. Start with our drug charges overview, including marijuana and prescription pill cases, and see challenging drug testing evidence for how lab proof gets attacked.
Theft and Property Crimes
Retail growth along the Highway 64 and I-40 corridors brings shoplifting and theft enforcement with it. Tennessee grades theft by value under T.C.A. § 39-14-105: up to $1,000 is a Class A misdemeanor, and the felony classes escalate from there. For first-time offenders, pretrial or judicial diversion can resolve a theft charge without a conviction — and unlike DUI, a dismissed or diverted theft charge is expungeable, which matters enormously for employment and background checks in a bedroom community where most defendants have never been in a courtroom before. Our Memphis theft defense page covers the value thresholds, defenses, and diversion eligibility in detail.
Domestic Assault
Domestic calls in Arlington and Lakeland are answered by SCSO deputies, and Tennessee’s preferred-arrest policy means someone usually leaves in handcuffs. A domestic assault charge carries consequences beyond the sentence itself: a conditional 12-hour hold before release, bond conditions that can bar you from your own home, mandatory firearm dispossession on conviction under both state and federal law, and a conviction that cannot be expunged. Because these cases are prosecuted at 201 Poplar by the Shelby County District Attorney’s domestic violence unit, early defense work — preserving texts, 911 audio, and witness accounts before memories harden — makes a measurable difference. See our domestic assault defense page and, where a protective order has been filed alongside the charge, our order of protection guide.
What to Do After an Arlington or Lakeland Arrest
- Say nothing to investigators beyond identifying yourself. Anything you explain at the roadside or the substation becomes the State’s evidence.
- Write down everything while it’s fresh — the stop, the tests, what the deputy said, who was present.
- Note your court date carefully. Your arraignment will be at 201 Poplar in Memphis, not in Arlington or Lakeland — a surprise that causes missed court dates and arrest warrants every year.
- Call a lawyer before your first appearance. Video evidence is overwritten quickly, and in a DUI the administrative deadline on your license is measured in days.
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Memphis Criminal Defense
A Memphis Firm That Knows Both Ends of the Case
Brooks Law Firm is based at 2299 Union Avenue in Midtown — fifteen minutes from 201 Poplar, where your Arlington or Lakeland case will actually be heard. Patrick Brooks handles every criminal case personally, from arraignment through trial, and is a member of the National College for DUI Defense, the Memphis Bar Association, and the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. We also serve the neighboring courts your case may touch — see our guides to Bartlett, Cordova, Millington, and Germantown.
Free initial consultation · Se habla Español. Office: (901) 324-5000. Criminal matters — call or text: (901) 412-2973.
Arlington & Lakeland Criminal Defense: Frequently Asked Questions
I was arrested in Arlington — why is my court date in Memphis?
Arlington and Lakeland are patrolled by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and neither town’s municipal court has General Sessions jurisdiction over state criminal charges. DUI, drug, theft, and domestic assault cases from both towns are booked at the Shelby County Jail and arraigned in General Sessions Criminal Court at 201 Poplar Avenue in Memphis.
Does Lakeland have its own police department?
No. Lakeland contracts with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office for police services, and Arlington’s law enforcement is likewise provided by SCSO through the Arlington substation on Memphis-Arlington Road. That is why arrests in both towns become Shelby County cases.
What does the Arlington Municipal Court handle?
The Arlington Municipal Court at Town Hall on Airline Road hears town ordinance violations and traffic citations issued within Arlington. Lakeland’s Municipal Court, established in 2018, serves the same role for Lakeland. Neither hears state criminal charges such as DUI or domestic assault.
Can a DUI from a stop in Lakeland be expunged?
Not if you are convicted — a Tennessee DUI conviction is permanently ineligible for expungement, and diversion is not available for DUI. A DUI charge that is dismissed or reduced to reckless driving can be expunged, which is the central reason to fight the charge rather than plead to it.
I’ve never been arrested before. Can a theft charge stay off my record?
Often, yes. First-time offenders charged with theft may qualify for pretrial or judicial diversion, and a successfully diverted or dismissed charge can be expunged. Eligibility depends on your history and the facts, so have a lawyer evaluate it before you enter any plea.
Disclaimer: This post provides general information about Tennessee law and Shelby County court structure current as of 2026 and is not legal advice. Court arrangements and contact information can change; verify details with the relevant clerk. Reading this post does not create an attorney-client relationship.