Charges Dropped Against Locklin
The following is a statement from East Ridge Police Chief Stan Allen:
On May 16, I was made aware of a potential problem with an arrest that occurred on December 4, 2021 by Officer Sam Roistacher.
The incident started with off-duty officer Andrew Carter reporting there was an incident with a neighbor concerning a dog running loose. The dog had entered Carter’s yard and the neighbor’s son and a visitor, Kadron Locklin, were chasing the dog.
Officer Carter told Mr. Locklin to get the dog out of his yard. Mr. Locklin responded with profanity and threats with the words, “shut the **** up, I got something for you in the car, you ******* pig. When Officer Roistacher arrived on the scene, Mr. Locklin started towards the house at 5332 Oakdale Ave. and refused commands to stop until almost inside the house.
The encounter is mostly on the body camera footage from Officer Roistacher body camera. The camera apparently malfunctioned at the start. Normally, when activated, the camera records video with no sound. When reviewing the footage, the beginning does have sound.
During the interaction between Officer Roistacher and Mr. Locklin, Corporal Crowe checked the vehicle Mr. Locklin was driving and found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol including a 30-round magazine and a small amount of marijuana. Also in the car were two persons, who according to Mr. Locklin, are mentally/developmentally challenged clients of Orange Grove Center.
As I result of my inquiry, I believe the charge of Aggravated Assault to be inappropriate. I had a discussion with Assistant District Attorney Cameron Williams and the decision was made to dismiss the charge of Aggravated Assault and not pursue the appropriate charges of Reckless Endangerment for leaving a loaded firearm in the vehicle with the mentally/developmentally challenged persons.
The video showing the incident was first brought to my attention by ADA Williams after he had been told by Mr. Locklin’s attorney, Chris Dixon, of the incident. Mr. Dixon also provided the video to a local news outlet who aired portions of it. The body camera footage from the other officers on the scene was purged after 60 days as is normal when not tagged for manual hold.
Officer Roistacher will receive a one-day suspension for the language that was used toward Mr. Locklin and he will receive remedial training in Tennessee state law.
