Investigators say a deputy’s lack of resources and inexperience on back roads led to a fatal crash in Meigs County

MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – Lack of resources and knowledge of the area contributed to a February crash that killed a Meigs County deputy and the suspect he was carrying, according to several reports from agencies that investigated the crash.

On Monday, District Attorney General Russell Johnson hosted a press conference at the Meigs County Courthouse during which he outlined the investigation into Deputy RJ Leonard and Tabatha Smith.

Previous coverage: Woman killed in Meigs County deputy crash identified by Knoxville medical examiner

The accident occurred on February 14, after Leonard arrested Smith. According to investigators, Leonard answered the phone at his home around 9:30 p.m., called the Highway 60 bridge, took Smith into custody and then crashed with her strapped to the back of his cruiser at the Blythe Ferry Road boat ramp. which leads directly to the Tennessee River.

Several agencies, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Russell’s office, investigated the two deaths. Primarily, both THP and the district attorney’s office concluded that the cause of the accident was Leonard’s lack of knowledge of Meigs County backstreets and the sheriff’s office’s lack of equipment.

Leonard himself was new to the job. His employment records show he began working as a deputy in December 2023, just a few months after moving to Meigs County.

“As you all know from the report, RJ Leonard was not very familiar with the north end of the county,” Johnson said at the conference.

This is an opinion with which investigators usually agree. A report from the U.S. Attorney’s office said GPS data from the device Leonard was using the night of the crash showed he drove twice on Blythe Ferry Road to the boat ramp in December, then turned around, heading the way he came.

Previous coverage: Tabitha Smith, woman who died in Meigs County crash, remembered by friends

That being said, Blythe Ferry Road splits towards the boat ramp. If Leonard had made a hard-to-see right, he would have headed toward the county jail.

Instead, Johnson said, Leonard turned left on what appeared to be a continuation of the main road. Johnson showed this path using footage from the investigator’s dash cam.

As for Leonard’s GPS device itself, it tells its own story about the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office. Reports indicate that the deputy purchased the device personally to use in his cruiser, which was a 2010 Crown Victoria that evening. It was not supplied by the office as part of Leonardo’s equipment.

Both in the prosecutor’s report and in person, Johnson said a lack of technology in the office contributed to the disaster.

Previous coverage: Lawsuit filed on behalf of woman who died in the backseat of a Meigs County deputy’s car

“I would like to point out that they still do not have dash cams, body cameras or GPS navigation,” Johnson said. “It should be noted that Deputy Leonard was in a 2010 Crown Victoria. As you can hear from the gearbox, the odometer and speedometer did not work. In my opinion, Meigs County is in a really difficult situation here.

The reports also included details of Leonard’s driving and phone use before the crash. According to the investigation findings, Leonard was driving at an average speed of 42 miles per hour before the crash, reaching a maximum speed of 56 miles per hour.

“We believe he hit the water at approximately 70 mph,” Johnson said, adding that the deputy driver texted his wife just before the collision. The district attorney’s report provides details.

“We know from the synchronization of GPS navigation data with Deputy Leonard’s cell phone data that approximately 46 seconds before he hit the water, Deputy Leonard sent a text message to his wife saying ‘Arrest,’” the district attorney’s report said.

The crash is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by Nathan Smith, Tabatha Smith’s son. It alleges that Leonard did not have the necessary training to serve as a patrol deputy.

Leonard “was not adequately trained by the county to know his assigned patrol area and the nature of the scene,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also specifically mentions Leonard’s cellphone use, stating that the deputy “was not adequately trained or supervised by the county to refrain from using a cellphone while transporting an arrestee in a patrol vehicle.”

Both Leonard and Tabatha Smith died in the crash. Both autopsy reports show that each of them died by drowning. The Knox County Regional Crime Center said Tabatha Smith had traces of methamphetamine and marijuana in her system, but her death was not drug-related.

Johnson has not commented on the lawsuit. Oliver Bell Group, the firm representing Nathan Smith’s lawsuit, also failed to do so on Monday morning. If this changes, we will update this story.

According to Johnson, because Leonard died in the accident, no criminal charges will be filed in connection with the incident. However, prosecutors on Monday turned over the investigation’s findings to a grand jury, which issued a recommendation to the sheriff’s office.

“The Grand Jury recommends that Meigs County place barriers and/or gates to prevent such events from occurring in the future,” returned foreman Ronnie Colyer, adding that the office should also invest in GPS systems for all patrol cruisers.