Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff R.J. Leonard died in a single-vehicle crash into the Tennessee River off the Blythe Ferry Boat Ramp in Birchwood.
Deputy Leonard was at home when he took the call relating to a disturbance near the Highway 60 Bridge in Birchwood. He arrived at the scene at about 9:48 p.m. and, at 10:15 pm, radioed that he had arrested a female subject and was transporting her to the Meigs County Jail. A few moments later, dispatchers received an unclear transmission where Deputy Leonard mentioned "water." The area is remote and rural, and it is difficult for cellphone signals and other radio traffic to go through. When he failed to respond to a status check, a search began.
The next day, his patrol car was found upside down in the water with the female subject in the back. His window was rolled down, and he was not in the vehicle. His body was recovered at 6:30 p.m. on February 15, 2024.
Deputy Leonard had served with the Meigs County Sheriff's Office for two months.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, five children, mother, and two siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-9749ABDF- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Leonard served with the Meigs County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Decatur community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Leonard.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Robert John Leonard is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Meigs County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert John Leonard's cause is highlighted.
How Robert John Leonard Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert John Leonard is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Meigs County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
