The family of a Tennessee woman who was found dead in the back seat of a submerged police cruiser is now suing Meigs County for $10 million following the tragedy.
Meigs County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert ‘RJ’ Leonard, who had only been in the area for less than two months, arrested Tabitha Smith, 35, after responding to a report of a man and woman fighting. on a bridge around 10 pm one afternoon in February.
For Leonard, who only joined the police department after 12 weeks of training, it was the new officer’s first solo arrest.
But the officer’s vehicle crashed into the Tennessee River after it took a wrong turn, drowning them both.
Smith’s son Nathan has filed a lawsuit on his mother’s behalf.
Tabitha Smith, 35, was found dead in the back seat of a submerged police cruiser.
Smith’s remains were discovered in the back seat of a police cruiser, shortly before the missing officer’s body was also recovered from the Tennessee River.
Officer Leonard “was not adequately trained by the county to know his assigned patrol area and to know the nature of the incident location,” the lawsuit alleges before stating how Leonard “was not adequately trained and supervised by the county to refrain from using of his mobile phone while transporting a detainee in a patrol car.
Minutes before the fatal fall, Leonard had texted his wife about the arrest, to which she responded, “That’s great,” although the officer never received her response.
Leonard had made one last call to his office saying “water,” before losing all communication with the office.
Smith was still handcuffed in the back seat and could not free herself when the icy waters of the river entered the car.
The next day, Leonard’s patrol car was pulled from the Tennessee River and Smith’s body was recovered from the vehicle. Leonard’s body was found hours later nearby.
Robert ‘RJ’ Leonard, with his wife Tabitha, a deputy with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, made a chilling call to dispatch, saying “water,” before subsequently losing communication with the office.
Tabitha Smith’s family is suing the county for $10 million in damages following her death.
Leonard’s patrol car was pulled from the Tennessee River with Smith still handcuffed in the back.
The officer’s car is seen being towed after being swept out of the Tennessee River.
Officer Leonard was unfamiliar with the roads near the river and drove off a boat ramp directly into the water and was unable to escape.
“Leonard was not adequately trained or supervised by the county to ensure the decedent’s safety while in its custody,” the lawsuit alleges, noting how Smith likely “suffered a horrific death.”
The lawsuit claims interest in deprivation of liberty and bodily integrity, wrongful death, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence, loss of consortium and two violations of Tennessee code.
Deputy Leonard graduated from the training academy in December last year and joined the force.
“Deputy Leonard had only been here for a couple of months, but he had become part of our family,” Deputy Chief Brian Malone said tearfully at a news conference last month.
“We’re going through a tough time here. It’s something we never deal with here in Meigs County,” he added.
“Deputy Leonard had only been here for a couple of months, but he had become part of our family,” Deputy Chief Brian Malone said tearfully during a news conference in February.
In his last radio call, Leonard said “water,” a word that authorities had to use “special techniques” to decipher later.
“Dispatch couldn’t tell what he was saying,” Johnson said. ‘We think he was saying “Water.”‘
Satellite tracking of his vehicle and a location-sharing app on his phone led officers to Blythe Ferry Road near the Tennessee River.
“They triangulated the last position of his phone and the Life360 that his wife had connected to her phone, and it looks like they are almost in the same place,” Johnson said.
When it was found the vehicle was upside down with the wheels up, the driver’s side window was also down.
Johnson said the officer appeared to have been texting and talking on the radio while driving on a treacherous road.
‘The roads are not well lit. They are not well signposted. They are narrow. “If I hadn’t been paying attention, I could have hit the water pretty quickly,” Johnson said.
The deputy graduated from the training academy in December and then joined the force.
The devastating incident has left Leonard’s wife and children distraught, as his wife shared in a social media post.
“We’re operating under the theory that it was an accident: He missed his turn, he was unfamiliar and he was doing other things that could have caused him to fall into the water,” Johnson said.
The devastating incident has left Leonard’s wife and children distraught, as his wife shared in a social media post.
‘Our lives have changed forever. Please continue praying. Pray harder than ever before. My heart is broken for my children and I am an absolute mess. I will start communicating when I can achieve it.
‘For now, all I can do is cry. We will love you forever RJ. 17 years is not enough for you,” she wrote.