Roger Glenn “Pokey” Redden

Less-than-lethal force

Soddy-Daisy officers responded to a domestic incident. Redden was naked, talking incoherently and breaking things. When officers attempted to talk to him, he mumbled and did not make eye contact while stumbling around the room. Police called for an ambulance and tried to put a restrictive suit on him, but he refused. Medics and police attempted to hold Redden down to strap him to a stretcher, but he became combative and would not follow officer commands. Officer Melissa Daniels deployed her Taser seven times. Following the stuns, Redden remained combative and uncooperative. He then was handcuffed to the stretcher. The Medical Examiner's Office in Knoxville ruled the death a natural event and listed the cause of death as multiple medical issues, mainly an undiagnosed fungus that caused his erratic behavior.