CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The active warrant that led to the arrest of 34-year-old Darius Chappell, who died Friday at the Montgomery County Jail, shows that he was wanted for violation of probation involving drug arrests and evading in 2020 and 2021.
Chappell was arrested Monday, June 29, on Fort Campbell Boulevard in what the Clarksville Police Department referred to as a “use-of-force incident involving one of our canine officers.” Five days after his arrest, Chappell was found dead Friday, July 3, in his cell at the Montgomery County Jail. No cause of death has been released.
Arrest report on what led up to struggle
The arrest took place at 11:30 a.m. June 29, when Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies saw a parked vehicle registered to Chappell. Chappell had an active warrant for violation of parole, according to an MCSO arrest report obtained by Clarksville Now.
Clarksville Now requested information on that warrant, but none was found in local Circuit Court records. Acting on a tip that the warrant may have come from Hardin County, southwest of Jackson, Clarksville Now obtained several records from that Circuit Court office.
Charges of evading, drug possession
On Nov. 23, 2020, Chappell was convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell in Hardin County, according to an arrest warrant. He was sentenced to eight years but granted a suspended sentence with probation, and he was required to enter Warriors Center drug rehabilitation for one year.
One week later, on Nov. 28, 2020, he left Warriors Center in violation of the probation agreement, a warrant said. Then, on Dec. 9, 2020, he was arrested by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office on charges of felony evading, possession of drugs with intent to sell, reckless endangerment and other charges.
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Chappell was charged with violation of probation on March 24, 2021. He was given a “partial revocation” of parole and ordered to serve one year in jail or rehabilitation. He reported for intake on Aug. 19, 2021, and tested positive for meth and marijuana, a warrant said. He tested positive for those drugs again on Sept. 8, 2021. Another warrant was issued for violation of probation on Nov. 22, 2021.
Chappell was arrested again on March 15, 2022, by the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office on charges of evading arrest, reckless endangerment, possession of Adderall, and theft of property over $1,000.
Account of arrest from video, warrant
On June 29, when MCSO deputies tried to stop him on the outstanding warrant, Chappell ran into oncoming traffic on Fort Campbell Boulevard, according to an arrest warrant. Deputies used a taser on Chappell multiple times, but he fought back, the warrant said.
Video of the arrest – taken by a bystander and shared on social media – shows Chappell struggling with two MCSO deputies when a third deputy and then a CPD officer join in the struggle. With Chappell on his back, the CPD officer goes to his vehicle and releases a K9 police dog. The dog attacks Chappell as the officers handcuff him. The officer then removes the dog, which continues snapping as it is returned to the vehicle.
According to the arrest warrant, when Chappell grabbed a deputy’s vest near the throat and pulled the deputy, the CPD officer deployed the K-9, which bit Chappell and ended the altercation.
At the request of 19th Judicial District Attorney General Robert Nash, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating Chappell’s death. The NAACP is requesting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation join in. While Chappell’s cause of death has not been released, the NAACP said Saturday that the day before his death, they had been assured that he was “fine.”
| MORE: Tennessee NAACP calls for thorough investigation into jail death of Darius Chappell
Chappell was the father of three young children, according to a GoFundMe for funeral expenses set up by his sister, Latesha.
Commissioner calls for review of policies
At Monday night’s Montgomery County Commission meeting, Commissioner Rashidah Leverett spoke out on the matter saying, “Our community is in mourning, and there is a family searching for answers. The loss of any life in our hands, in our custody, in our jail, is a matter all of us should be concerned about.”
She said commissioners do need to allow the investigation to move forward and “follow the facts wherever they lead.”
However, Leverett said, “Once this investigative process is complete, we have a duty to exercise thoughtful legislative oversight by asking difficult questions, reviewing policies, evaluating training and procedures, and determining whether there are any changes necessary to strengthen the accountability, and – again this word has been used twice tonight – transparency.”
Christian Brown contributed to this report.
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