Tommie Lee is well known for her time on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, where fans know her for her explosive temper. Because of this, Tommie has found herself on the wrong side of the law numerous times. Over the years, she's spent quite a few times behind bars for her bad behavior. From catching cases for child abuse, assault, and more, here's a closer look at Tommie Lee's legal troubles.
Early Struggles Of Tommie Lee
Tommie Lee has stated she's been getting locked up since the tender age of 14. In an Instagram story, she posted how she had always had a bad temper "with zero understanding." That led to her getting into all kinds of trouble. Over the years, Tommie Lee reportedly racked up more than 32 mugshots.
On a 2016 episode of Love & Hip Hop, Tommie's lengthy record was confirmed. Starcasm reported that Tommie's real name is Atasha Jefferson, and they found her criminal history dating back to 2006. Between 2006 and 2014, Tommie reportedly had three counts of battery, a charge for hijacking a bus, five counts of shoplifting, and a theft of service. She ended up going to court in Clayton County, Georgia, a whopping 13 charges there alone.
Tommie's Connection To Karen "KK" King
The source also claimed Tommie Lee had connections to LHHATL cast member, Karen "KK" King. That person said Tommie had worked for KK "doing identity fraud." At one point, Atasha Jefferson was wanted on identity theft and forgery charges. So, allegedly, she used the dirty money and went to Miami to get plastic surgery, turning into Tommie Lee. Ironically, the plastic surgeon who did Tommie's work "also pressed charges against her for stealing."
In 2013, Tommie was booked into the DeKalb County jail in Georgia on a 1st-degree felony charge. The following year, Tommie was charged in Florida for leaving the scene of an accident and was fined $50. In 2016, she appeared to address the allegations of driving under the influence. "Everybody talking I feel like a trending topic Hashtag I bet yo mouth bigger than yo pockets!! And NO! We don't #drink&drive," she wrote.
Tommie Lee & Joseline Hernandez
Tommie and Joseline Hernandez were known for their acrimonious relationship on LHHATL. The two often beefed over Tommie's alleged past relationship with Stevie J. It all culminated with Joseline claiming that Tommie tried to run her over with her car in 2016. As a result, Joseline called the cops and got a restraining order against Tommie. In typical Tommie behavior, she violated the restraining order by making terroristic threats toward Joseline. This led to Tommie spending a couple of days in jail, earning herself yet another mugshot.
Alcohol Monitor
In May 2018, the court forced Tommie Lee to be fitted with an alcohol monitor over two open cases. One case involved a DUI in 2016, and another involved her getting physical with a jewelry store worker. In the latter case, police viewed footage from the store of Tommie climbing over the counter to fight the employee. Authorities charged her with battery with substantial harm. Until the cases were resolved, Tommie couldn't drink any alcohol.
Child Cruelty Charges
While Tommie Lee had faced her fair share of trouble, nothing seemed as bad as the child cruelty charges she caught in October 2018. Apparently, Tommie wanted to teach her middle school daughter a lesson about acting up in school. Instead of talking to her, she decided to get physical. Tommie allegedly smacked the girl's hands with a purse strap and slapped her face. Then, she reportedly dragged the girl across the hallway by her hair and threw her into a locker.
The authorities were called and Tommie was arrested on child cruelty, aggravated assault, and aggravated stalking charges. Tommie faced up to 54 years in prison, and due to the seriousness of the crime, she was ordered to stay away from her daughter. As usual, Tommie Lee didn't listen. After bailing out the next morning on a $27,000 bond, she immediately went to see her daughter. She was re-arrested later that night and held without bail.
Tommie Lee Violates Probation
Authorities released Tommie on November 7 but was arrested soon after for violating probation in her DUI case. Before she got re-arrested, she posted on Twitter, “They don’t ever tell the full story.. just the part that makes you look bad." Another tweet from her account read, “Nobody will ever feel yo pain. So do what you gotta do to get over that sh*t.”
Tommie remained in jail through December. Once released, she starred in Truth, a documentary about her life. She said the child abuse charge really broke her. She said, "My kids are never gonna go to jail. Whatever I’ve done in the past, I’ve done that so they don’t have to do it. I don’t wanna see my kids go through what I’ve gone through in life." Tommie maintained her innocence but admitted the charges had a detrimental effect on her life.
In March 2019, Tommie made the mistake of showing up to court drunk. She had a blood alcohol content of 0.16, which was twice the legal limit. After authorities tested her for drugs and alcohol, they arrested Tommie on the spot. It seemed like Tommie was hurting her case at every turn. Luckily for Tommie, Johnny Law was on her side and she didn't go to prison for the child abuse case. Instead, she got 10 years of probation and had to attend a residential recovery program.
Another Arrest
While Tommie exuberantly celebrated two years of being jail-free in 2021, she couldn't do the same in 2023. In August, reports surfaced that Tommie was booked into the Miami jail. Her charges included disorderly conduct and cocaine possession with intent to sell. Further reports say that Tommie got arrested after leaving a restaurant where she had gotten into an argument with an employee.
Tommie's reps denied she had coke and said it was medication. “They chose to handcuff and arrest her on grounds of drug possession, despite the fact that the 'drugs' were, in fact, her friend's epilepsy medication. They seized upon this as an excuse for her arrest when no other valid reason was evident." The reps also claimed that Tommie was the victim of an intoxicated person at the restaurant.
Once released, Tommie denied she was doing drugs and blamed an overzealous cop. Along with a video of her getting drug tested, she posted online, “Stop this nonsense we’re not going to keep trying to run with this very tired story. It’s not me will never be that drug doesn’t fit my aesthetic at all STOP IT!!” Tommie revealed that her drug test was negative but posted a weird rant on social media. “The f**king neighbours done stole the results from the motherf**king drug test." Many social media users didn't believe her, but hopefully, for the sake of herself and her kids, Tommie Lee is staying clean.