According to the complaint, the dispute began September 15, 2025, when plaintiff Rodney Lynn Kilgore, owner of Monteagle Truck and Tire and Monteagle Wrecker Service, called Monteagle police after a customer refused to pay for repair work on a semi-tractor trailer.
The suit was filed Sunday in Chattanooga’s U.S. District Court and names Police Chief William Raline, Sgt. Alhafiz Ibn Karteron, Treva Baker, and the Town of Monteagle as defendants. The allegations have not yet been proven, and the defendants have not responded in court.
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According to the complaint, Rodney Lynn Kilgore, owner of Monteagle Truck and Tire and Monteagle Wrecker Service, contacted police after a customer refused to pay for repairs to a semi-tractor trailer. The lawsuit claims responding officer Karteron consulted with Raline, who advised that the matter was civil and instructed the officer to arrest Kilgore for false imprisonment if he refused to release the vehicle.
Kilgore’s attorney argues Tennessee’s mechanic’s lien law gave him the legal right to retain the vehicle until payment was made. A General Sessions Court judge later dismissed the false imprisonment charge, finding no probable cause, and a Marion County grand jury declined to indict Kilgore on additional charges.
The lawsuit further alleges Kilgore was subjected to excessive force while handcuffed in a patrol car, claiming the officer tightened his restraints and forcibly shoved him into the vehicle. The complaint states body camera footage contradicted the officer’s account.
The filing also claims a second arrest warrant was obtained the following day based on false statements involving a woman identified as Baker, who was allegedly misrepresented as the officer’s spouse. That charge was later dismissed by the state.
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses the officer of using a no-contact order to prevent Kilgore from attending a public meeting, threatening arrest if he appeared.
The complaint raises concerns about departmental oversight, citing questions about the officer’s prior termination from another police agency and past criminal history that was allegedly not disclosed during hiring. It also references complaints from residents about difficulty reporting misconduct within the department.
The lawsuit also raises questions about Raline’s oversight of Karteron. According to the complaint, a Board member raised concerns in October 2025 about a letter from the Murfreesboro Police Department indicating Karteron had been terminated from that agency. The complaint alleges the termination stemmed from Karteron’s failure to disclose during the MPD hiring process that he had originally been charged with aggravated assault — a Class C felony — and had served 90 days in jail. The assault victim, the complaint states, required helicopter evacuation to Vanderbilt Hospital.
The lawsuit alleges Raline defended Karteron’s continued employment at the October meeting, attributing the prior charge’s resolution to an expungement.
Separately, the complaint states that multiple residents raised concerns at a February 2026 Board meeting about difficulty filing misconduct complaints with the Monteagle Police Department, with one resident saying that speaking to Raline about complaints was like “talking with that camera there.”
The lawsuit includes multiple federal civil rights claims, along with state allegations such as malicious prosecution, assault and battery, and civil conspiracy. Kilgore is seeking compensatory and punitive damages totaling millions of dollars.
The case has been assigned to the Chattanooga division of the Eastern District of Tennessee. Court records show Raline was served with the lawsuit this week. The defendants have not yet filed responses, and the allegations remain unproven.
Meanwhile, a motion by the Monteagle Board of Mayor and Aldermen to release Officer Alhafiz Ibn Karteron failed on Monday by a 3-2 vote.