Cop lied about high-speed chase in Tennessee, prosecutors say. Now he’s facing prison
A 23-year-old former police officer is staring down a possible prison sentence after prosecutors in Tennessee said he lied about a high-speed chase and falsified an arrest warrant earlier this year.
Joseph Charles Roberts pleaded guilty to felony charges of tampering with government records stemming from an incident on Jan. 31, the Knox County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Thursday, April 14. Roberts agreed to resign from the Knoxville Police Department as part of his plea agreement.
He faces two years in prison, which his attorney will ask the judge to set aside as a request for judicial diversion — a type of probation for first-time offenders who plead guilty.
Roberts’ sentencing date has been set for June 29.
“It is imperative that citizens are able to trust law enforcement,” District Attorney Charme Allen said in the release. “By repeatedly being dishonest when questioned by his supervising officers and by falsifying his sworn statements, this officer broke the law, damaged that trust, and showed that he was unfit to serve as an officer of the law.”
T. Scott Jones, who is representing Roberts, told McClatchy News his client is “terribly sorry” and “hopes that his immediate acceptance of responsibility reflects more as to his character than the initial mistakes themselves.”
“Mr. Roberts has led an exemplary life — both before and subsequent to this lapse in judgment — and he intends to prove his worthiness for a diversionary sentence by his actions post-incident and plea,” Jones said. “He has accepted without equivocation complete and full responsibility for his imprudence and understands that for such he must pay a high price. He hopes others will learn that a lapse in judgment can only be compounded when one lies about the same.”
Roberts had reportedly been on the force about 18 months when he tried to initiate a traffic stop in North Knoxville and the driver fled.
“Roberts lawfully pursued the vehicle, but he can be seen turning off both his cruiser camera and his body worn camera in violation of KPD policy,” the DA’s office said. “Despite his attempt to turn off the cameras, the cruiser camera automatically turned back on eight seconds later when Roberts’ speed reached a certain threshold.”
The chase continued on to Interstate 275 north and eventually Interstate 640 east, where the driver managed to pull away from Roberts at the Broadway exit, according to prosecutors.
Roberts reportedly found the car again after it hit another vehicle at the exit ramp intersection.
The DA’s office said the chase lasted three and a half minutes and spanned four miles with both cars reaching speeds over 100 mph. But when officers responding to the crash asked Roberts if there had been a pursuit, he reportedly told them no. Prosecutors said Roberts later swore out arrest warrants for the individuals inside the car and lied in his affidavit.
It wasn’t immediately clear how investigators uncovered the lies, but a spokesperson for the Knoxville Police Department said Roberts’ supervisors “swiftly reported” his actions up the chain of command once they became aware.
The department then opened an internal investigation and Roberts was placed on administrative leave with his police powers suspended, spokesperson Scott Erland told McClatchy News in a statement. His commanders also requested a criminal investigation, the results of which were brought to the District Attorney’s office.
“The community should be able to trust its police officers, and that trust has to be earned,” Erland said. “The actions of Officer Roberts undermine the strides that his now former Knoxville Police Department colleagues are making to earn and maintain the trust of the community.”
Roberts joined the Knoxville Police Department as a recruit in 2020, according to a video posted on the department’s Facebook page in which he talks about wanting to be a police officer since childhood.
“Growing up I always watched cops on television but I never really put in perspective what they do,” Roberts said in the video. “So after doing a little research, I seen it’s not just arresting people every day. It’s more changing the community for the better. As a police officer, you have a direct impact with the community. You can make it a better place by serving and protecting.”
At sentencing, prosecutors said they will oppose Roberts’ bid for judicial diversion so that the charges stay on his record.
They also said they will provide his court records to the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to prevent Roberts from seeking a job in law enforcement in another jurisdiction.
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