As homicide investigation continues, Dunlap man says officers raided his home & beat him
DUNLAP, Tenn. — A great grandfather in Dunlap, Tennessee is recovering after he says police raided his home and beat him for a crime he didn't commit.
The search was in connection to the whereabouts of Matthew Henry, who has been missing since April of 2018. Today, we went to Dunlap to get both sides of the story.
Matthew Henry was last reported being seen in a Dunlap parking lot on April 15, 2018. Police say they're now considering it a homicide, as they still search for his body and those responsible for his death.
"We're confident in that there is foul play involved," says Dunlap Police Chief Clint Huth.
On Thursday, October 3, the home of Willard King was searched by several state and federal agencies, looking in part for the answer to Henry's whereabouts. The 64-year-old told us he saw dozens of law enforcement members outside of his home. King says he was hit in the face by a Marion County deputy with their shield.
"That’s where I laid and bled til they handcuffed me then they drug me out here and onto the porch and you can still see blood out here that ain’t got cleaned up yet."
Chief Huth says he's known Henry since he was six, and that this is not a normal missing persons case.
"We don’t feel it’s a - this isn’t just a random act. What happened to Matt Henry was a deliberate action by some other people."
Willard's granddaughter Shelby Grindstaff and her 4-month-old daughter were inside when officers searched the home.
"I thought we were getting attacked by terrorist. I thought the United States was being attacked by terrorists," said Grindstaff.
Grindstaff says they had to run outside of the home because pepper spray was in the air. We're told both her and her daughter were unharmed. Her grandfather however was not as lucky. King has stitches over his eye, bruising on his face, and a broken nose after he claims police injured him unprovoked.
We spoke with Sheriff Bo Burnette with Marion County. He says his deputies acted in self defense, claiming King charged them, forcing the deputies to take action. King was arrested and later released after the search warrant was carried out.
We've asked to see that search warrant, but were told it was sealed by a judge. The body camera footage and arrest affidavit have also been withheld, per the request of District Attorney Mike Taylor. DA Taylor says he has not heard any official complaint of police wrongdoing in this case.
The reward for finding and reporting the whereabouts of Matthew Henry is now at $3,500, with money provided by the family and a local church. If you have any information on this ongoing investigation, please call Dunlap Police.
This is a developing story, count on us to bring you the latest.
