The frame of a Tennessee deputy, who disappeared after making an arrest, has been recovered after his patrol automotive was once discovered underwater.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Place of job (HCSO) in Tennessee showed in a Fb submit that the frame of 35-year-old Deputy Robert “R.J.” Leonard were discovered on Thursday night.
“His stays are recently being escorted to the Knoxville Regional Clinical Examiner’s Place of job via motor devices with the HCSO, Tennessee Freeway Patrol, and the Chattanooga Police Division,” police mentioned.
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The police cruiser was once discovered within the Hiwassee River in Tennessee. (U.S. Wooded area Carrier)
Leonard, a rookie at the drive, replied to a file of a person and lady combating on a bridge in a while ahead of 10 p.m. Wednesday and took the girl into custody, in step with Meigs County District Lawyer Russell Johnson.
Government started on the lookout for the deputy after he failed to reply to a standing test.
Johnson mentioned that considered one of Leonard’s closing communications was once a textual content to his spouse that mentioned, “Arrest.”
“His spouse texted again and mentioned, ‘That is excellent’ or ‘That is nice,'” Johnson reported throughout a press briefing. “We all know that his telephone didn’t, plainly, obtain that textual content.”
Meigs County District Lawyer Russell Johnson at a press briefing on Thursday, Feb. 15. (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Place of job)
Early Thursday, government made the alarming discovery of Leonard’s patrol car the other way up within the Hiwassee River.
Police discovered the frame of the girl within the backseat of the patrol car. Police consider that the frame belongs to the arrestee.
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A couple of businesses are investigating how the car ended up within the water.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Johnson mentioned that they consider that this was once an twist of fate.
Johnson mentioned {that a} initial file famous that the deputy gave the impression to be texting and radioing whilst riding in a poorly lit house.
“We are running below the speculation that it was once an twist of fate — he neglected his flip, he wasn’t acquainted, and he was once doing different issues that can have led to him to enter the water,” Johnson mentioned on the press briefing.
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Officers mentioned that the 35-year-old deputy lived close by along with his spouse and 3 kids.
“Deputy Leonard were at the drive about two months,” Meigs County Sheriff Jackie Melton mentioned. “He was once doing a sexy excellent task. A in point of fact excellent task. It is simply onerous when the dept is sort of a circle of relatives.”
