COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Columbia Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a former Tennessee Highway Patrol officer who went missing Saturday morning.
Harvey Briggs, 54, was last seen in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Columbia, Tennessee just after 11 a.m. on Oct. 1. He was driving a black 2015 Ford Fusion with Tennessee license plate 156-BHBD. Before his disappearance, Briggs reportedly "made several concerning statements to family," who have not heard from him since those comments were made, says Columbia police.
Briggs' disappearance happened a day after he received a six-month probationary sentence for a misdemeanor assault conviction charge stemming from an incident where he "pulled the face mask off a protester during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020," according to an Associated Press report.
The AP report also states Briggs pleaded no contest to the charge on Sept. 15, though he has an active lawsuit against the state of Tennessee for his firing.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida shared a post on their official Facebook page just after 4 p.m. Wednesday stating that the Ford Fusion Briggs was driving was located sometime Tuesday at the Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. Briggs was reportedly last seen headed east on the beach from that location on foot.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office is asking that anyone with information about Briggs' location please contact their office at 850-651-7400 or make a report with the Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers on their official Facebook page.
The Columbia Police Department is also asking anyone in middle Tennessee who has information about Briggs' location call the Columbia Police Department Dispatch at 931-388-2727 or the Maury County Crime Stoppers hotline at 931-381-4900. Tips can also be sent to the Columbia Police Department SAFE email address: SAFETips@ColumbiaTN.com.
