By Mason Edwards
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Two former Soddy-Daisy police officers who claimed they were wrongfully terminated for speaking out about another officer’s behavior will get $830,000, evenly split, in a settlement of their federal lawsuit against the city.
Former Lt. Jake Elrod and former Capt. Eric Jenkins sued the city, City Manager Burt Johnson, Police Chief Billy Petty and former Police Chief Mike Sneed in August 2024. When they first filed, Elrod and Jenkins had asked for damages of $1 million each, including other fees, pay and benefits.
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Elrod and Jenkins argued they were fired after giving truthful testimony in open court. They said their allegations about a fellow officer’s alleged untrustworthiness and alleged sexual fantasies involving children weren’t properly handled.
City officials said the officers were let go because they degraded colleagues, plotted to get a fellow officer fired and wanted control of the Police Department. Sneed deemed the accusations against the fellow officer as unfounded.
Attorney Logan Davis said by phone that she and two other attorneys are representing Elrod and Jenkins. None of them are open to commenting about the settlement at this time, she said.
The settlement, agreed upon outside of court, denied any wrongdoing on behalf of the city or other defendants.
Both sides wanted a deal and had unsuccessfully tried mediation, according to Soddy-Daisy City Attorney Sam Elliott. While a motion for a judge to decide the case early was pending, negotiations resumed.
Elliott said by email that he couldn’t remember who initiated the settlement. The city’s insurer was on the hook for most of the settlement amount, as Soddy-Daisy had to pay $5,000 before insurance covered the rest.
The lawsuit was based on peculiar facts, he said, and there are no particular changes contemplated to ensure the city doesn’t pay a similar settlement again.
Aaron Wells, who represented Soddy-Daisy and its codefendants in court, referred questions to Elliott.
According to the settlement, Soddy-Daisy or its insurer owed Elrod and Jenkins $415,000 each, which includes $92,500 in back pay, $227,000 in compensation and $45,000 in attorney’s fees and litigation costs.
The former officers agreed not to reapply to Soddy-Daisy for employment unless the city agrees in writing before any application submission, and that their attorneys would file for the lawsuit against the city and its co-defendants to be dismissed with prejudice, permanently ending the case.
Under the terms, the city must provide neutral references for future employers and cannot take action against Elrod and Jenkins’ law enforcement credentials.
The officers signed the agreement on Dec. 19. The dismissal was filed Jan. 12, court records show.
Initial Accusations
A woman reported a Soddy-Daisy sergeant in 2022 to superiors after, court records said, she accused the fellow officer of producing child pornography and publishing it to the dark web. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office determined she was not credible and made unfounded accusations.
An investigator said there was no basis for criminal charges against the sergeant. Elrod obtained copies of text messages between the fellow officer and the reporting woman, which the Chattanooga Times Free Press obtained via an open records request.
The sergeant was accused by members of the public of texting a consenting woman about sexual fantasies involving children and, in a separate incident, showing a partially nude photo of himself to a woman and her underage cousin at a local Planet Fitness, according to court hearing testimony by Elrod and Jenkins.
The dispute between the former officers and the city’s leadership affected a criminal case in which the sergeant was the arresting officer. Elrod, Jenkins and another former officer, Brandon Miller, gave a report and flash drive with texts to the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office.
Elrod and Jenkins were called to testify and may have undermined the fellow officer’s credibility as a witness, and as a result of the new information, a new trial was granted for former Hamilton County paramedic Justin Whaley, who was convicted of reckless vehicular homicide, among other charges. An appeals court reinstated his conviction in December.
The woman made another complaint against the sergeant in 2024, which was also closed and deemed unfounded based on available information and witness statements.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.
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