An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a Clifton man in the September 2021 shooting death of a deputy with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office.
On September 26, 2021, at the request of 24th District Attorney General Matt Stowe, TBI agents began investigating the on-duty homicide of Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke. Deputy Locke was fatally wounded while responding to assist other deputies and officers during a domestic disturbance in the 3000 block of Nance Bend Road in Clifton.
Initial information indicated that just after 8:30 p.m., deputies with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, an officer with the Clifton Police Department, and deputies with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in the Cobb Farm area on the Wayne/Hardin county line in reference to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, officers made contact with Todd Alan Stricklin, who was armed with a handgun. Officers ordered Stricklin to drop the weapon, but he refused. As Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke approached the home to assist, Stricklin shot him. The deputy was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
On March 21, 2022, a Hardin County Grand Jury returned a 23-count indictment against Stricklin (DOB: 12/6/72), which include the following charges: First Degree Murder, Felony Murder, Attempted First Degree Murder (five counts), Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony (five counts), Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault (six counts), Domestic Assault, Interference with an Emergency Call, Reckless Endangerment, and Evading Arrest.
Stricklin remains in custody at the Chester County Jail where he is being held without bond.
Hardin County Sheriff Johnny Alexander said about Deputy Locke, “Our country has lost a warrior. Our community has lost a hero. Our department has lost a brother. We will never forget Deputy Locke, and we are all forever in debt for his sacrifice.”
