The family of a Decherd, Tennessee, man who died in custody in May 2024 has filed a wrongful death suit against Grundy County’s sheriff, alleging excessive force used during his “false and unlawful” arrest.
At 5:19 a.m. May 29, 2024, a Pelham volunteer firefighter reported finding Ronnie Glenn Ledbetter, 53, unconscious in his vehicle after driving off Sherrill Road near the Grundy-Coffee county line, according to the suit filed May 27 in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga. Ledbetter’s vehicle had struck a utility pole.
According to the suit, Ledbetter was unconscious when he was found but came to “disoriented and confused” when a paramedic leaned into the vehicle to put a cervical collar on Ledbetter’s neck. The paramedic was “inadvertently poked in the eye under his glasses” at this point, and dispatchers and responding deputies were told Ledbetter had “punched” the paramedic in the face and “was extremely combative,” the suit states. That description was incorrect, the suit contends.
The suit — filed by Ledbetter’s adult children, Amber Baltimore, Taylor Ledbetter and Cody Ainsworth — doesn’t name an amount sought, but it seeks “compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs and other relief,” the suit said. It names the county; Sheriff Heath Gunter; Deputies Justin Graham, Jayven Bess, Kenneth Nunley, Brandon King and David Young; and Corrections Officer Joshua Turner as defendants. Grundy County Mayor Michael Brady said he was familiar with the incident but not the details.
“The TBI did an investigation, and they cleared the Sheriff’s Office,” Brady said via phone, but he declined to elaborate.
Brady said he was served the suit earlier in the week.
The suit accuses deputies Graham and Bess, when they arrived on the scene, of striking Ledbetter “about the head and torso,” then handcuffing him before taking him to the ground into a position that made breathing difficult. While the officers and Ledbetter waited for King to arrive with a transport vehicle, they “continued to yank Mr. Ledbetter up as he struggled to stand from the attack he had sustained.”
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Young arrived, followed by King, and Ledbetter was moved to King’s patrol car.
“During the transfer to defendant King’s vehicle, Mr. Ledbetter was tasered approximately three to four times by defendant King,” the suit said. At 6:04 a.m., “Ledbetter was taken from the scene and transported to the Grundy County Jail by defendant King followed by defendant Young. Transport took approximately 30 minutes, at which time Mr. Ledbetter’s medical status continued to deteriorate.”
Officers should have recognized Ledbetter’s medical distress and taken him to an emergency room instead of jail, the suit said. None of the officers turned on their body-worn cameras.
Despite statements by a jail nurse and a corrections officer that Ledbetter was “combative and kicking” when he was brought into the jail, the suit states jail security camera footage “shows three officers dragging a lifeless body through the jail,” to an unlit cell where jail staff began performing CPR and called for an ambulance, the suit said. Ledbetter was pronounced dead at a local hospital and had sustained lacerations, contusions and 12 rib fractures.
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The defendants haven’t filed an official response, but a lengthy social media statement on the suit was issued by the Sheriff’s Office contending it was necessary “to provide the community with accurate information about the incident with Ronnie Ledbetter.”
“During a crash investigation, Ledbetter assaulted first responders by kicking and spitting blood on them,” the statement said. “One respondent was gouged in the eye and struck by Ledbetter.
“The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted a thorough investigation into this tragic event,” the statement said. “Their findings cleared the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office of any criminal wrongdoing or foul play. Additionally, the official autopsy report confirmed the cause of death as an overdose, not due to any actions taken by deputies.”
Ledbetter’s fractured ribs were “consistent of life-saving CPR efforts,” the statement said.
The statement also disputed the allegation that a “lifeless body” was dragged through the jail or that Ledbetter was beaten.
“We take our responsibility to the community seriously and will continue to cooperate with any lawful processes,” the statement said. “We ask for patience and respect as the legal process unfolds and as we focus on serving and protecting the people of Grundy County. We also stand firmly behind our deputies and correctional officers on this matter.”
Defendants in federal cases typically have 21 days to file a response in court.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
