Judge Finds Serious Drug Problem at Trousdale But Dismisses Leeper Lawsuit

Judge Waverly Crenshaw described the drug problem at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center as serious, yet the legal claim against the prison and its leadership has ended. The dismissal came in an order filed on Nov. 3, ending a case brought by Tim Leeper following the death of his son, Kylan. Kylan Leeper died of a fentanyl overdose at the facility on Oct. 6, 2023. He had arrived at the prison just five months before his death.

In the court order, Crenshaw wrote that the record reflects a serious drug problem at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. The judge stated that the court does not minimize the issue. He noted that drugs in prisons, including those operated by CoreCivic, have generated repeated litigation in the circuit and repeated harm to inmates. Crenshaw wrote that the court is disturbed by the danger that problem poses to inmates.

Trousdale is Tennessee’s largest prison. Reports of drugs, violence, and death have been consistent since the facility opened. In 2024, the Nashville Banner reported that nearly two dozen Trousdale employees, including officers and staff, had been criminally charged. The charges included smuggling drugs and cell phones. The judge’s opinion documents steps taken by CoreCivic to address the crisis. These measures included body scanners, a canine unit, mail and package scanning, drone detection, perimeter patrols, shakedowns, urinalysis, and video surveillance.

Despite these measures, the opinion states that the prison was clearly understaffed. Crenshaw suggested that people in positions of power likely contributed to the problem. Testimony from former staff, including the former warden, indicated that it was not uncommon for the prison to see 10 or 15 overdoses per day in the summer and fall of 2023. A number of those overdoses were fatal. The Leeper family’s original complaint identified Jermaris Porter, then an assistant warden, as a central figure in a drug ring. Porter has since left Trousdale and briefly worked at an Alabama prison before leaving that job under unclear circumstances.

Crenshaw wrote that the case against Porter was the strongest part of the lawsuit but still not sufficient. He noted that Porter broke the rules by escorting unsearched inmates between units and meeting with gang-affiliated inmates behind closed doors. The judge added that Porter skirted security screening and may have even delivered drugs himself. However, the estate did not provide evidence connecting that conduct to the risk Kylan Leeper faced in Foxtrot Bravo leading up to his death.

Tim Leeper said the dismissal felt like a gut punch. He stated, “To me that says, there’s nothing you could ever do, there’s no case, no evidence that you could bring … it means they are too big to fail.” Leeper noted that he hired a lawyer and spent over $50,000 on private investigators to gather information. He added, “If somebody like me, who has the means to hire a lawyer and spend over $50,000 on private investigators to get the information that I got, and it’s still not enough? There’s no hope for holding the prison system accountable.”

Leeper said the family is not demoralized and has not given up hope. He said, “But it makes you realize what kind of Goliath you’re fighting.” Although the family could appeal Crenshaw’s decision, Leeper said he does not think they will. He said he is willing to continue advocacy for the rest of his life. He noted that he has walked away from businesses to focus on this work. “This is my work and my mission in life,” he said.

Leeper runs an organization called Kylan’s Light and uses Facebook groups to connect with loved ones of people incarcerated in Tennessee prisons. He said he will continue lobbying state lawmakers for prison-related policy changes. He noted that reform is unlikely until people outside the prisons change their view of those inside. “Until we begin to see these people as human beings and not just ‘inmates’ or ‘prisoners’ or ‘offenders,’ the message won’t change,” he said. “And that’s my job is to change the way that we see people. As a believer, I feel like God sees people as souls and if he sees them as a soul and I’m a believer I should probably see them the same way.”