A former LaFollette police officer is now facing criminal charges after prosecutors say he hurled an explosive device at a Campbell County homeowner, then tried to tamper with a witness in the aftermath.
A Campbell County grand jury handed up an indictment in mid-April charging Isaiah Lloyd with official misconduct and with coercing or influencing a witness in a related investigation. Court records show Lloyd is set to appear in Campbell County Criminal Court on May 4.
According to WVLT, the indictment alleges that on Jan. 29, 2024, Lloyd went to a Campbell County home, vandalized property and, when the homeowner confronted him, threw an explosive device at the resident before taking off from the scene. WVLT also reports that in January 2025, Lloyd allegedly tried to influence a witness to hold back truthful information connected to the investigation.
District Attorney General Jared Effler credited investigators with moving the case forward, saying, “I appreciate the thorough and methodical investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that has brought this case to the point of being formally charged.” The probe was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Legal context
Tennessee’s official misconduct law makes it a crime for a public servant to use their office in an unauthorized or abusive way, and depending on what happened it is often treated as a felony-level offense. As summarized by Justia, the statute lets prosecutors seek charges when someone acts under color of office to gain a benefit or to harm another person, and it requires that the case be brought by indictment.
Coercing or influencing a witness is a separate offense that bars using threats or other improper pressure to keep someone from giving truthful testimony or evidence. Tennessee courts have held that prosecutors must prove both intent and some form of coercive conduct in order to win a conviction on that charge.
Next steps
Lloyd’s May 4 court date is expected to include his arraignment and the setting of a schedule for pretrial motions and hearings. As WVLT noted, Effler has acknowledged that one of the counts could run into a statute of limitations issue, although he says his office is prepared to move ahead.
For now, the fate of the case will turn on how prosecutors decide to press the charges and what the evidence looks like when it finally lands in front of a judge and, potentially, a jury.
