Willard King, a 64-year-old great-grandfather from Tennessee, says he has nothing to do with the disappearance of a local man who mysteriously vanished more than a year ago.
But a throng of local, state and federal cops apparently believe otherwise because they raided his home on October 3, looking for evidence in the case of Matthew Tyler Henry, a local 29-year-old man believed by police to have been killed.
During the raid, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy used his shield to strike King in the face, leaving him with two black eyes, a broken nose and stitches.
The deputy then dragged him outside and left him bruised and bleeding on his front porch. King’s shorts came off as they dragged him and the cops stood around, laughing and mocking him, according to his granddaughter who was in the home with her daughter during the raid.
“Are you alive pops? Are you breathing pops?” the cops said while poking him in the stomach, according to LouAnn King Brock.
Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnette said his deputies acted in self-defense because King charged at them, “forcing the deputies to take action,” according to News Channel 9.
King was charged with disorderly conduct and has been released.
But it does not appear as if they found anything connecting King or his family to the disappearance on Henry, who vanished in April 2018. Willard’s granddaughter and great granddaughter were not arrested or injured.
And while police continue to assure the public they are getting closer to solving the case of the missing man, they have not publicly tied King to the case since the raid.
When News Channel 9 asked to see the search warrant, they were told it had been sealed by a local judge. The body camera footage from the raid as well as King’s arrest affidavit have also been sealed.
King’s granddaughter posted on Facebook that the warrant contained no name or address on it.
Since when is it lawful to barge into someone’s home with a warrant that has only the name of “John Doe” with no address and no indication of who the warrant was to be served on? Does that mean the police can go into anyone’s house with a warrant like this and beat us up and be within the law?
A $3,500 award has been offered for information that would help police solve the case of the missing man.
Below are screenshots from Willard’s granddaughter and son describing what took place during the raid.
