A Tennessee police officer and a detainee are both dead after a freak auto accident occurred while on their way to jail. Robert John “R.J.” Leonard Jr., 35, reportedly responded to a disturbance call on the bridge over the Hiwassee River just before 10 p.m. on February 14. He had arrested Tabitha Smith, 35, and was headed to Meigs County Jail when his patrol car crashed.
Now, authorities are trying to piece together what exactly happened. They believe that the Meigs County Sheriff’s Department deputy, who had reportedly just moved to Tennessee a few months earlier, was not familiar with the dangerous area, leading to a tragic end.
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Leonard was reportedly heading to jail with Smith in handcuffs.
In a news conference on February 15, 9th Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson explained that Leonard was taking Smith to Miegs County Jail when he radioed in to dispatch.
“Dispatch couldn’t tell what he was saying,” he said. “Or what he had said. And, it took a while and some analytics to go into play to see what was being — to try and understand what was being said. And we think he was saying ‘water.’
"At the very same time, he was also texting his wife," Johnson continued. “It’s my understanding he sent a one-word text that said ‘arrest.’ … His wife texted back and said: ‘That’s good’ or ‘that’s great.’ We know that he did not receive — his phone did not evidently receive that text.”
Because he was new to the area, it was likely the deputy didn’t understand the dangers.
Leonard was driving in a very rural area and attempted to contact dispatch, but due to limited cell and radio service, the call was not completed, according to a press release from the Southeast Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Police Benevolent Association. Authorities believe he was trying to get help, but by the time crews arrived, he and Smith were dead.
Investigators found the patrol car near a boat ramp.
The squad car was found near the Blythe Ferry boat ramp on February 15, per Law & Crime. The ferry has not been used for nearly 30 years, and the area is considered very dangerous.
“So, if he wasn’t paying attention because he was distracted by the person in the back, or about trying to hit the radio, or sending a text at the same time, you could imagine he would go down that road,” Johnson said during a second press conference on Friday. “We’re operating under the theory that it was an accident — he missed his turn, he wasn’t familiar, and he was doing other things that may have caused him to go into the water.”
Smith was seemingly unable to free herself.
Because she was handcuffed in the back seat when the car hit the water, Smith was trapped, WVLT reported.
Her friend Sheena Mchome said she is devastated at the loss of someone who “loved life.”
“I could not imagine being trapped and knowing my life was going to end,” Mchome told the news outlet.
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Both the deputy and suspect leave families behind.
According to the Tennessee Police Benevolent Association, Leonard is survived by his wife and five children. Mchome told WVLT her friend had a husband and two children.
Smith’s friend Emilie Neusel told WVLT that she wanted her friend to be remembered. “I hope they remember her by her name. Tabby Smith. And I hope she’s remembered by more than the girl in the back seat,” she said.
No public funeral arrangements have been announced for either person.
