Found Deceased TN - Unnamed Sheriff's Deputy Disappeared While Transporting Female Passenger, Meigs County, 2/14/24
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LadyL
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yes I said it in another post - boat ramps need GATES and signage
it literally happened in the exact same place mere weeks ago!
luckily in that case they were able to rescue the person
this happens over and over and still there is no action to make boat ramps inaccessible at night
it's a pretty simple fix as long as boat owners do their part to close the gate behind them
It seems pretty clear from several articles though that the Deputy was also texting while driving…
ETA: just saying… for sure signs are needed, etc… but texting and driving is incredibly irresponsible.
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Gemmie
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Source
SS's of the victim taken from the video from the link at the bottom of this post:
Tabitha Smith, woman killed in Meigs County crash, remembered by friends
Smith was killed after Deputy Robert Leonard accidentally drove his cruiser into the Hiwassee River, according to officials.
Thank you.View attachment 484203
Source
SS's of the victim taken from the video from the link at the bottom of this post:
View attachment 484204
View attachment 484205
View attachment 484206
Tabitha Smith, woman killed in Meigs County crash, remembered by friends
Smith was killed after Deputy Robert Leonard accidentally drove his cruiser into the Hiwassee River, according to officials.www.wvlt.tv
LadyL
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for sure and a gate would've stopped his vehicle and saved the arrested person's life despite his irresponsible texting
LeahBee
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Please someone link me where the officer was texting and driving? So far the only thing I've seen is that he texted his wife a one word text and no conformation that it was while driving. I mean ACTUAL confirmation, not articles taking that one text message and running with assumptions
favoritesong
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It’s not definite proof or anything, but the article I linked has quotations from the Meigs County District Attorney, including him saying that the deputy appeared to be texting and radioing.
Again, not definite or any real evidence but a quote from an involved official holds more weight than just an assumption from a member of the public IMO.
LeahBee
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@favoritesong thanks for posting. I missed the first time that it seems to indicate his text was sent about the same time he sent the inaudible radio communication possible saying "water". Two lives lost over something totally preventable - whether he was distracted while driving or just the boat ramp not being properly identifiable and barricaded.
favoritesong
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No problem! It’s always good to double check, especially in a situations like this where there are a lot of emotions involved. It’s just such a tragedy that seems like it could have been avoided in several different ways.
Community, friends hold memorial ride for Tabitha Smith - WDEF
Almost a month ago, Meigs County Deputy Robert Leonard drove into the Tennessee river for unknown reasons. Along with ...
"The organizer of the ride, John Walsh said, “I just organized this ride because when this news first broke that Tabitha was in this with the deputy that I felt like her name, that she was left out, you know. Somebody is always a somebody. And I felt like her she was just as important as the deputy was.”
The article states that they'll be holding another memorial ride for the police officer Robert Leonard on March 23.
Unless I've missed something, this is the only recent article I've seen about the accident. I wonder if there was any additional investigation as to exactly what happened.
Edited to add this article, which gives a little more info about the memorial ride, but nothing new about the incident itself.
Meigs County community honors life of woman found dead in deputy's patrol car
Tabitha Smith is the woman who died in the Tennessee River in February along with Meigs County Deputy Robert Leonard.
Edited again to add this article. It's not a new article, but says it was recently updated, and it has some interesting information:
Local attorney lays out possible legal action following the deaths of Meigs County deputy & detainee
Attorney Robin Flores is a criminal defense attorney and also a former police officer.
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I've seen a lot more locally..Community, friends hold memorial ride for Tabitha Smith - WDEF
Almost a month ago, Meigs County Deputy Robert Leonard drove into the Tennessee river for unknown reasons. Along with ...www.wdef.com
"The organizer of the ride, John Walsh said, “I just organized this ride because when this news first broke that Tabitha was in this with the deputy that I felt like her name, that she was left out, you know. Somebody is always a somebody. And I felt like her she was just as important as the deputy was.”
The article states that they'll be holding another memorial ride for the police officer Robert Leonard on March 23.
Unless I've missed something, this is the only recent article I've seen about the accident. I wonder if there was any additional investigation as to exactly what happened.
Edited to add this article, which gives a little more info about the memorial ride, but nothing about the incident itself.
Meigs County community honors life of woman found dead in deputy's patrol car
Tabitha Smith is the woman who died in the Tennessee River in February along with Meigs County Deputy Robert Leonard.www.local3news.com
Multi-million dollar lawsuit filed in the death of Tabitha Smith
A $10-million lawsuit has been filed against Meigs County Government and a late deputy for the death of Tabitha Smith after a tragic incident involving a patrol car entering the Tennessee River. Attorney Robin Flores represents the victim's son in pursuing justice and answers.
DA updates investigation into deputy’s deadly crash in Meigs County
District Attorney Russell Johnson has released new information into the investigation of what led up to a Meigs County deputy’s car going into a river last month.
www.wate.com
Meigs County DA responds to $10 million lawsuit filed in death of Tabitha Smith - Mix 104.1 FM - WCLE - Cleveland, Tennessee
From Local 3 News: The Meigs County District Attorney is responding to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the woman who drowned handcuffed in the back of a deputy's car. Meigs County Deputy RJ Leonard was taking Tabitha Smith to jail when his car went into the Tennessee River last month, killing both of
www.mymix1041.com
Thank you! I'll try and keep you updated! I thought interest had lingered. It's definitely an on going thing here.
BeginnerSleuther
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Flashing signs added to Blythe Ferry Lane, the site of February's deadly incident in Meigs Co.
Temporary signage has been added with blinking lights to the dark country road ending with a ramp to the Tennessee River.
This was a small start to safety, but a resident and long time fisherman in the area says lights weren't working and he couldn't see the reflectors.Flashing signs added to Blythe Ferry Lane, the site of February's deadly incident in Meigs Co.
Temporary signage has been added with blinking lights to the dark country road ending with a ramp to the Tennessee River.
I wonder if there are any signs immediately before the tamp that says ramp ahead. It was slightly overwhelming to look at the picture of the ramp in the daytime, I couldn't imagine this area at night. I believe a gate, concrete "bumpers" and better signage could help prevent this in the future.