Criminal Defense
Oakland, Rossville, and Piperton are the fastest-growing corners of Fayette County — bedroom communities for people who commute into Memphis and the Shelby County suburbs on Highway 64, Highway 57, and TN-385. Each town has its own police department. But if you were pulled over, cited, or arrested in one of them, the most important thing to understand is this: the town where the officer stopped you is almost never the town where your criminal case will be heard.
Town Police, County Court
Oakland, Rossville, and Piperton each run their own police force:
- Oakland Police Department — 170 Doss Circle, Oakland (at City Hall)
- Rossville Police Department — 380 Morrison Road, Rossville (Emergency Services Facility)
- Piperton Police Department — 3725 TN-196, Piperton (dispatched through the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office)
Outside town limits, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office (705 Justice Drive, Somerville) patrols the unincorporated areas and operates the county jail. Wherever the arrest happens, that jail in Somerville is where you or your loved one will be booked.
Each of the three towns also has a municipal court — Oakland Municipal Court meets at City Hall on Doss Circle, Rossville’s court sits at Town Hall on Morrison Road, and Piperton’s court clerk operates from the Highway 196 city complex. But these city courts handle ordinance violations and traffic citations. If you’re charged with a state criminal offense — DUI, drug possession, domestic assault, theft, driving on a suspended license — your case is heard in Fayette County General Sessions Court at the Bill G. Kelley Justice Complex, 705 Justice Drive, Somerville (General Sessions Clerk: 901-465-5205). Felonies that are bound over proceed to the Circuit Court for the 25th Judicial District in the same building.
So the practical answer to “I got arrested in Oakland — where do I go to court?” is usually: Somerville.
What People in These Towns Actually Get Charged With
DUI on the Commuter Corridors
Highway 64 through Oakland and Highway 57 through Rossville and Piperton are heavily patrolled, and Piperton’s police department in particular makes traffic enforcement a stated priority. A first-offense DUI in Tennessee carries a mandatory minimum of 48 hours in jail, a one-year license revocation, and — critically — a DUI conviction can never be expunged and is not eligible for judicial diversion. The charge is filed in Somerville, not the town court. If this is your situation, start with our DUI defense page and our guide to a first DUI in Fayette County.
Drug Charges
Fayette County sits on the I-40 corridor and the Sheriff’s Office fields a dedicated narcotics unit. Simple possession, possession with intent, and paraphernalia charges from Oakland, Rossville, and Piperton stops all run through General Sessions in Somerville. Many first-time possession charges can be resolved in ways that preserve your record — see our drug offense defense page.
Domestic Assault
A domestic assault arrest in any of the three towns triggers Tennessee’s 12-hour hold, and a conviction carries permanent consequences: loss of firearm rights, a conviction that can never be expunged, and bond conditions that can keep you out of your own home. These cases are prosecuted by the District Attorney for the 25th Judicial District in Somerville. Read more on our domestic assault defense page and our guide to orders of protection.
Theft and Property Crimes
Retail growth along the Oakland Highway 64 corridor has brought theft and shoplifting cases with it. Whether a theft charge is a misdemeanor or felony depends on the dollar value alleged — and many outcomes can be structured toward eventual expungement. See our theft defense page.
Why the Somerville Forum Matters for Your Defense
Fayette County General Sessions is a different environment from Shelby County’s 201 Poplar. Dockets are smaller, the same prosecutors and judges see the same defense attorneys repeatedly, and preparation is visible. Brooks Law Firm appears regularly in the Fayette County courts — it is one of the counties we serve most often outside Shelby — and we maintain a dedicated Fayette County criminal defense guide with court details for the Justice Complex. You can see every court we cover on our Courts We Serve page.
If your charge stems from a probation issue rather than a new arrest, our tri-county probation violation guide covers the Somerville process.
Frequently Asked Questions
I got a ticket from Oakland (or Rossville or Piperton) police. Do I go to the city court or to Somerville?
It depends on what’s on the citation. Ordinary traffic tickets and city ordinance violations are handled in the town’s municipal court. State criminal charges — DUI, drugs, domestic assault, theft, driving on revoked — go to Fayette County General Sessions at 705 Justice Drive in Somerville. The court name and address printed on your citation or bond paperwork controls; if you’re unsure, call us and we’ll tell you.
My family member was arrested in Rossville. Where are they being held?
Almost certainly the Fayette County Jail at the Justice Complex in Somerville, operated by the Sheriff’s Office. Bond is set there, and the first court appearance will be in General Sessions in the same building.
Can a Piperton or Oakland charge follow me to my job in Memphis or Collierville?
Yes. A Fayette County conviction appears on the same Tennessee and national background checks as a Shelby County conviction. That’s why the goal in most cases is a resolution that can ultimately be expunged — a dismissal, diversion where eligible, or a reduction to an expungeable offense.
Do I need a lawyer who is local to Fayette County?
You need a lawyer who regularly appears in the Fayette County courts and knows how the Somerville docket runs. Brooks Law Firm handles cases at the Justice Complex routinely and serves all of Fayette County — including Oakland, Rossville, Piperton, Moscow, Gallaway, La Grange, and Somerville itself.
Charged in Oakland, Rossville, or Piperton? Call Brooks Law Firm at (901) 324-5000 — criminal defense line (901) 412-2973. Spanish-language services available.