A Memphis Police Department (MPD) report obtained by The Tennessee Star reveals that the mother of State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, was accused of slapping an election worker during a dispute at a Memphis polling location on Wednesday.
The Daily Memphian first reported that Owens Pearson was accused of causing a “disturbance,” while The Mighty 990 shared the news in a post to social media, including redacted information from the MPD report obtained by The Star.
According to that report, three officers were initially called to respond to Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, which is being used as a polling location, to respond to a “Simple Assault” call.
The report states that the victim, an election worker, told police that Owens Pearson was present as a poll watcher, but “came to the voting site, causing a disturbance” related to the speed of the line.
According to the report, the victim told police that he asked Owens Pearson to leave the polling location, but that she remained for about 40 minutes.
The report states the victim then asked Owens Pearson to leave for a second time, but he told police that Owens Pearson “then slapped his hand and walked out the doors but stayed on the property.”
As a result of the incident, the report further states that Owens-Pearson “was placed on the AOA list until voting is over,” apparently referring to the Memphis Police Department’s Authorization of Agency process, which is used to restrict individuals from specified properties.
The report also contains Owens Pearson’s account of the incident, which differs from the series of events provided by the election worker.
According to the report, Owens Pearson said she witnessed voters leave due to the length of the line, and asked the election worker why the lines were not moving faster.
While Owens Pearson claimed “they came to an agreement about how to make the lines move faster,” the report states that she told police the polling location “later reverted back to how it was at the beginning,” which the report states Owens Pearson said prompted her to return.
She also claimed that the poll worker “put his phone in her face,” which led her to raise her hands in a blocking gesture, according to the report.
The report also states that Owens Pearson said the victim asked to speak to her outside, but slammed the door in her face after she left the building.
In addition to Owens Pearson and the poll worker, the report also includes the perspective of a third-party witness.
According to the report, the witness “advised that the suspect Kimberly Owens Pearson came to the voting site yelling and causing a disturbance,” and “kept refusing to leave no matter how many times the victim” asked her to leave the premises.
It also states that, after Owens Pearson left the building at the behest of the poll worker, she continued attempting to gain access.
According to the report, Owens Pearson “began trying to get back inside the site by constantly pulling on the door handles and yelling.”
Pearson and his mother were notably co-plaintiffs in their recent lawsuit against the City of Memphis, which successfully saw them regain access to Memphis City Council meetings following a temporary ban.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Kimberly Owens Pearson” by State Rep. Justin Pearson.
