DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle said he is clearing space in the county's jail ahead of the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis .

During a press conference Sept. 15, Tuggle said he had been in contact with the Mississippi Department of Corrections to remove all state prisoners from the jail to create additional space in the corrections facility. The measure is meant to be preventative, in the event any crime that would have been committed in Shelby County spills over to DeSoto County because of the National Guard's deployment .

"I want to assure every citizen of DeSoto County that your safety is our top priority," Tuggle said. "We are fully prepared to protect our community from any criminal activity that attempts to spill across our county line."

The sheriff's depart

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