KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Isaiah Lloyd, a former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper recently indicted for throwing an explosive at a homeowner, had a years-long history of problems, according to his employee file. Even so, he was allowed to continue working as an officer at two East Tennessee agencies.
According to a 107-page state file, Lloyd resigned from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2015 instead of being fired. That resignation came after a lengthy performance report from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said Lloyd had “a lack of desire for the attention to detail needed to operate within the fine lines which must be adhered to in the law enforcement profession.”
That report also lost Lloyd his law enforcement certification, a decision he appealed. Lloyd ended up receiving a two-year suspension, losing certification from Jan. 1, 2019 through Jan. 1, 2021.
Specifically, Lloyd’s file said he had multiple times failed to properly store evidence, attended meetings dressed out of uniform while chewing tobacco and even chosen not to attend grand jury dates to help prosecute his own suspects.
“Trooper Lloyd admitted that he had received the emails regarding his court appearance and also admitted that he had received four emails, but elected not to appear,” the report said. Problems with Lloyd’s policing didn’t limit themselves to the courtroom, however. The report cited several troubling cases while Lloyd was in the field.
One such case happened on Nov. 20, 2017. The report said Lloyd had taken part in a car chase that reached 123 mph, even though he knew there was a passenger in the suspect’s car. That passenger turned out to be a 3-year-old child.
Another issue the report brought up: Lloyd assisting other agencies without permission. According to the file, it was during a case like that when he was part of an officer-involved shooting.
The report outlined July 25, 2018, when “Trooper Lloyd did not notify his supervisor nor did he seek permission from his supervisor” when he helped the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office respond to a domestic issue with an armed suspect, even though he had “never received training in negotiations.” According to the report, the situation escalated and the officers ended up shooting the suspect. While the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later cleared the officer shooting, Lloyd wasn’t supposed to be on the scene and, according to the report, wasn’t prepared for that kind of work.
Both the Union County Sheriff’s Office and the LaFollette Police Department hired Lloyd even though he had a documented history of failing to execute his THP duties, acting unprofessionally and even losing his officer certification for a brief time. Records show he worked for the police department until 2023 and only resigned from the sheriff’s office in 2025.
The two agencies brought Lloyd on even though a publicly-available document accused him of being unable to perform his duties, saying he had a “pattern of continual refusal to abide” by policies meant to safeguard himself, his fellow officers and the state’s safety and homeland security department.
Lloyd is next scheduled to appear in court on May 4. There, he’ll face charges for official misconduct and coercing or influencing a witness — a charge he picked up in January of 2025.
