Knoxville News-Sentinel
WARTBURG, Tenn. — A Morgan County man charged in connection with the death of a Wartburg Police Department captain pleaded guilty today to a reckless homicide charge.
Eddie Dean Patterson, 30, admitted his guilt in the death of 58-year-old Ralph Braden during a hearing in Morgan County Criminal Court before Judge E. Eugene Eblen, according to Russell Johnson, district attorney general for the Ninth Judicial District.
Sentencing is set for March 2, and Patterson faces four years in prison, according to Johnson.
Patterson initially was indicted on reckless homicide and aggravated assault charges.
Braden, who was with the Wartburg Police Department more than 20 years, was injured April 22 while grappling with Patterson while Patterson was trying to escape from a window of his mother’s Sunnyside Estate apartment in Wartburg.
Patterson fled on foot after his altercation with Braden and was arrested about 14 hours later.
Braden had responded to a domestic dispute call at the apartments and dislocated his shoulder during the struggle with Patterson.
Braden was treated and released from Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, but after he went home he became unresponsive.
The officer was taken back to the hospital and was on life support for more than a week before being taken off life support May 2.
An autopsy showed he died after suffering a toxic reaction to painkillers he received during treatment of a blunt-force injury to his left shoulder that he sustained while struggling with Patterson.
Copyright 2012 Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.