The Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted Oct. 17 to approve a line-of-duty death benefit for the family of a former Montgomery County deputy, ending a delay that commissioners said stemmed from disagreement over the wording of a statutorily required affidavit.

The commission approved a motion to allow the family to proceed with the benefit application after Montgomery County officials explained why the county sheriff would not sign the standard affidavit used by the state. A motion to approve carried with all commissioners voting in favor; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Spangler.

Sheriff Peterson of Montgomery County told the commission that the deputy, Randy Dale Paddock, was hired March 9, 2009, injured April 25, 2020, resigned medically May 31 and later died while living in Oklahoma. Peterson said local officials had assembled the documents required to support the family's application but declined to sign the specific affidavit form the state requires, saying he believed signing that exact form could amount to perjury. "I couldn't sign that, without perjuring myself," Peterson said, and added that local officials prepared an alternate affidavit that he felt comfortable signing.

Peterson said a Montgomery County chancellor previously issued a declaratory judgment classifying the death as a line-of-duty death on March 11, 2025. "I have absolutely no issue, with the family receiving this," he told the commission.

Commission members discussed the legal wording and statutory requirements before moving to approve the benefit so the family could proceed. Commissioners said they appreciated the sheriff's attention to the statutory language and voted to allow the family to move forward with the submitted affidavits and documentation.

The commission did not add conditions to the approval in the public record; commissioners said the vote was intended to clear the procedural hurdle that had delayed payment to the family.

The commission also noted it had completed related administrative steps earlier in the meeting and that the family may pursue any additional federal or other benefits independently of this state action. No further action was recorded in the meeting minutes about follow-up reporting requirements to the commission.

The commission's approval allows the family to continue with the administrative processing of the line-of-duty death benefit under Tennessee law.

Looking ahead, commissioners said they hoped the administrative forms and processes that caused the delay could be clarified to prevent similar disputes in future cases.