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The state Senate Ethics Committee issued a subpoena yesterday in its probe of state Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, who faces complaints charging that he accepted income without disclosing it and that he lives outside his district.

The committee wants to examine Shelby County court documents that surround a Ford child-support dispute, said Ethics Committee Chairman Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville. Ford's testimony that he lives in two residences with two different families — both outside his Senate District 29 — cast doubt on whether he actually can serve in that district.
Ramsey said he hoped the court records would shed light on a more recent accusation that Ford profited from business ties with a TennCare subcontractor without reporting it on financial disclosure forms.

''Once we get those documents, we'll compare them against the conflicts of interest,'' Ramsey said. ''This is a first step, and that's where we are. You collect evidence as it's needed.''

An ethics subcommittee will examine those documents ''in a grand jury fashion,'' Ramsey said.