Ryan Kent Pollard was born into what should have been a life of privilege. His mother was the daughter of former Marion County district attorney Alvis E. Tidwell. Unfortunately, her bad marriage to bank robber Ronald Eugene Pollard took its toll on the children of that union.
We're publishing the following Pen-N-Sword October 2016 account of Ryan's early crimes here in full, with that publication's permission:
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Update: Earlier this month, Ryan Kent Pollard was returned to the Lauderdale County Detention Center and ordered held without bond. His official charge is “work release violation;” however, a source with state probation has indicated the specific charge is one of domestic violence against his most recent girlfriend. PNS will update this article if more information becomes available.
From August 2016:
Ryan Kent Pollard is 26 years old and has already accumulated at least four domestic violence arrests…not to mention his drug and property crimes. One of the first arrests for this Brooks High graduate was five years ago when he was arrested in Marion County for possession of illegal drugs. A theft charge followed.
Then in 2012, his crimes turned violent. Court records show that Pollard attacked his live-in girlfriend in November 2012. An argument had ensued after the young woman asked Pollard to wake up and get out of bed. Pollard then reportedly grabbed the young woman, threw her against the headboard, and began to strangle her. When the woman managed to free herself, Pollard produced a gun, placed it in her mouth, and threatened to kill her.
The young woman struggled to free herself a second time and attempted to seek safety in a closet. Pollard managed to open the door and then close it on his girlfriend’s hand, breaking it in the process. The woman ultimately escaped and ended her relationship with Pollard, who racked up Third, Second, and First Degree Domestic Violence Charges.
While the young woman considered her relationship with Pollard to be over, he apparently didn’t see it that way. While under a court order to avoid his ex-girlfriend, he followed her to a small concert venue and attempted to detain her. He was again arrested.
Now a convicted felon, Pollard was homeless after his latest incarceration and moved in with the family of his next unsuspecting victim, whom he married in November 2015. By December, Pollard was working only sporadically and had missed a regular probation meeting/drug test. He was arrested, but soon bailed out.
By April, Pollard had become controlling and abusive in his new marriage, and his wife left, fearing for her own safety. After deciding that divorce was the only option, Pollard’s wife attempted to meet with him at his apartment to discuss the arrangements. Pollard then physically detained the young woman against her will and spoke of suicide. The young woman managed to escape via a back door and call a family member who phoned the authorities. Pollard had managed to chalk up his third domestic violence arrest as well as another charge of not checking in with his probation officer for a routine drug test.
Pollard was released on the understanding he would attend Peace Program classes and have no contact with his soon-to-be-ex-wife. A month later, Pollard was again arrested for failure to meet with his probation officer, but was released still again under the same terms.
He abided by those restrictions for three months. On August 11th, Pollard visited the UNA campus, ostensibly to seek out his estranged wife. While the contents of the arrest report have not yet been made public, UNA police charged Pollard with a violation of the protection order. The next day he was also charged with other probation violations. He remains in the Lauderdale County Detention Center as of Sunday morning.
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After Pollard's last release from the Lauderdale County Detention Center, he worked only sporadically and crashed at the homes of whatever friends would give him refuge. Needing a place to stay for the night, Pollard called his grandfather in Hamilton and asked to visit.
No one can be sure what Tidwell was thinking when he agreed, but we can be sure what Pollard was contemplating. When Tidwell awoke the next morning, his grandson was gone and so was his expensive gun collection. Stolen guns are worth their weight in gold on the black market, often making their way to Chicago or Detroit within 24 hours. In other words, the drug-addicted Ryan Pollard was set financially for a few months, but what about the long term?
Pollard announced on his Facebook page that a friend had stolen cash he had put aside to pay on fines and that he would probably soon be returning to jail in Lauderdale County. In reality, Pollard had spent every dollar on drugs and was desperate for cash.
It's hardly an unusual path from drug addict to drug dealer, and it's one that Lawrence County, Tennessee, law enforcement think he's taken. In late August of this year, Pollard was arrested in Lawrenceburg with needles and other drug paraphernalia after disposing of a large amount of drugs authorities believe to be heroin, oxycodone, or a combination of drugs.
Since law enforcement was unable to produce the evidence of drug dealing...or even more tellingly trafficking...Pollard was sentenced to a few months in the Lawrence County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia and evidence tampering. For whatever reason, Pollard is expected to leave jail a few weeks early and will be released on October 28th pending further incidents.
Why does Ryan Kent Pollard rate a place in Shoals Crime among the murderers and rapists? Pollard has more arrests and convictions for assaults on women than any Shoals resident our blog has ever encountered. Friends of the Brooks High graduate tell us these incidents were all drug fueled.
We don't doubt that drugs exacerbate Pollard's anger toward society in general and women in particular. What we do doubt at this point is Pollard's ability to turn his life around.
