Authorities announced Thursday night that the body of a deputy who went missing after his arrest has been recovered.
The Hamilton County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that the body of Deputy Robert “RJ” Leonard was found in a river several hours after a search with the Meigs County Sheriff's Office. admitted that it had been done.
“His body is currently being escorted to the Knoxville Regional Medical Examiner's Office by HCSO, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Chattanooga Police Department task forces,” HCSO said in a post.
Authorities earlier said they were searching for the deputy after he took the woman into custody around 10pm local time on Wednesday and did not respond to a background check.
Leonard's patrol car was found and pulled from the Tennessee River early Thursday morning in an area near the Meigs and Hamilton county line, officials said.
Meigs County District Attorney Russell Johnson said authorities are still trying to identify the woman recovered from the back seat, but believe she is an arrestee.
Shortly before 10 p.m. local time Wednesday night, Leonard responded to a report of a man and woman fighting on the bridge and took the woman into custody, Johnson said. Johnson said he lost contact with the sheriff's office while driving to the county jail and did not respond to check on his condition.
Johnson said one of the deputy's last communications was a text to his wife saying, “Arrest me.”
“My wife texted me and said, 'That was great,' and 'That's great,'” he said at a news conference early Thursday. “We know that his cell phone apparently did not receive that text.”
At about the same time, Johnson said, Leonard radioed to be dispatched.
“Dispatch couldn't understand what he was saying,” he said. “I think he said 'water'.”
The search led authorities to land near a bridge on the Tennessee River, Johnson said.
Johnson said Leonard's car was found upside down with the wheels up, filled with mud and the driver's side window down. Johnson said the license plate identified it as Leonard's patrol car.
Officials said landing could be dangerous, especially for those not from rural areas. Johnson said the woman had gone into the water at the same location several weeks earlier and was rescued and survived.
Multiple agencies will investigate how the vehicle ended up in the water. But Johnson noted that the deputy, who is from New York, appeared to be texting and radioing while driving in an unfamiliar and poorly lit area.
“We're acting on the theory that it was an accident. He missed his turn, he wasn't used to it, and there were other incidents that could have caused him to go into the water,” Johnson said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. I was doing that,” he said. Briefing session.
Meigs County Sheriff Jackie Melton said Leonard enlisted in the military after graduating from training school in December. He worked nights and had a “really good job,” Melton said.
Leonard lived in nearby Roane County with his wife and three children, officials said.
“This is a difficult time for us,” Meigs County Chief Deputy Brian Malone said at a recent news conference, his voice breaking. “That’s something we never deal with here in Meigs County.”
“Deputy Leonard has only been here a few months, but he has become part of our family,” he said.
