By Joanna Putman
Police1
MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. — A Meigs County Grand Jury has ruled that the Feb. 14 drowning deaths of a deputy and a detainee were the result of “a terrible accident,” Chattanoogan.com reported.
The panel recommended safety measures, including barriers, gates and warning lights at Blythe Ferry Landing on Highway 60, as well as the installation of GPS systems in all county patrol vehicles, to prevent similar incidents, according to the report.
The incident occurred when Deputy Robert “R.J.” Leonard, new to the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, took a wrong turn in the dark and foggy night, driving off a boat ramp into the Tennessee River. At the time, Leonard was transporting Tabitha Smith, who was handcuffed in the back seat of the cruiser, after taking her into custody for reportedly walking into traffic on Highway 60. Authorities later found the patrol vehicle overturned in the river and recovered Leonard and Smith’s bodies.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol’s report noted the presence of warning signs ahead of the boat ramp, but the grand jury’s recommendations stressed additional safety precautions to avoid future accidents. A highway patrol investigator said Leonard’s unfamiliarity with local roads may have been a factor in the incident.
Leonard, 35, was described as a devoted husband and father of five who had stopped at home for a brief Valentine’s Day dinner with his family before responding to a report of a woman walking into traffic, according to the report. Smith, also 35, was reportedly under the influence of THC, methamphetamine and amphetamine at the time of her death.
