Sgt Jon
10-23-2007, 08:55
Mississippi Deputy Killed in Crash While Responding
Posted: October 22nd, 2007 09:44 AM EDT
Larry Binz LARRY BINZ
Coahoma County Deputy Sheriff Jerry Wayne Hudgins, 43, was killed Friday in a one-car accident west of the city.
"Deputy Hudgins died doing what he liked to do," Coahoma County Sheriff Andrew Thompson Jr. said Saturday. Hudgins became the first Coahoma County lawman killed in the line of duty since Sheriff A.H. "Brick" Gotcher was shot to death in a June 1954 compress shooting, according to Thompson. Thompson said Hudgins was responding to a call to Stovall Grocery located at the intersection of Stovall Road and Mississippi Highway 1 about 9:50 p.m. Friday. Hudgins was about two miles west on Stovall Road when his car left the highway and slammed into a tree. "There are some bad curves on Stovall Road," Thompson said.
Thompson said dispatch received a call from Stovall Grocery that some "suspicious looking guys were there." Three deputies were dispatched to the rural grocery store in separate vehicles. One deputy took the Mississippi Highway 322 route to Highway 1 while Hudgins and another deputy turned off Lee Drive and onto Stovall Road. Hudgins' body was taken to Jackson for an autopsy which was to be performed Saturday night.
Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith pronounced Hudgins dead at the scene. "He died instantly," Meredith said. Meredith, the owner of Meredith-Nowell Funeral Home, said Hudgins' funeral will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, at Clarksdale Baptist Church. Thompson noted that Hudgins started out as a part-time deputy in October 1996. He completed his training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Academy and became a full-time deputy in October 2003. "Wayne just celebrated his fourth year as a full-time deputy," said Thompson proudly.
A trooper from the Mississippi Highway Patrol was called to the accident scene and investigated . The Coahoma County Volunteer Fire Department was also called to the scene to use of the "Jaws of Life" to extract Hudgins from the car. Hudgins earlier served as a volunteer firefighter according to Coahoma County Fire Chief Jimmy Williams. The deputy who was following Hudgins along Stovall Road reported "seeing blue lights" and then "they disappeared." Thompson said that deputy began to back track on Stovall Road and discovered Hudgins vehicle slammed into a tree.
Thompson called Hudgins a "hard-working and dedicated deputy who loved his profession". "In fact, the Coahoma County Sheriff's Department was his life," stated Thompson. "Wayne was energetic. He never refused an assignment, and you could rest assured it would be done." He called Hudgins "conscientious - a person who was well -liked in the county." Mike Rawlinson of National Funeral Home said he was coming to Clarksdale from his home in Farrell and saw the traffic on Stovall Road. He stated that officers were re-routing traffic because of emergency equipment.
Copyright 2007 by the Clarksdale Press Register.
Posted: October 22nd, 2007 09:44 AM EDT
Larry Binz LARRY BINZ
Coahoma County Deputy Sheriff Jerry Wayne Hudgins, 43, was killed Friday in a one-car accident west of the city.
"Deputy Hudgins died doing what he liked to do," Coahoma County Sheriff Andrew Thompson Jr. said Saturday. Hudgins became the first Coahoma County lawman killed in the line of duty since Sheriff A.H. "Brick" Gotcher was shot to death in a June 1954 compress shooting, according to Thompson. Thompson said Hudgins was responding to a call to Stovall Grocery located at the intersection of Stovall Road and Mississippi Highway 1 about 9:50 p.m. Friday. Hudgins was about two miles west on Stovall Road when his car left the highway and slammed into a tree. "There are some bad curves on Stovall Road," Thompson said.
Thompson said dispatch received a call from Stovall Grocery that some "suspicious looking guys were there." Three deputies were dispatched to the rural grocery store in separate vehicles. One deputy took the Mississippi Highway 322 route to Highway 1 while Hudgins and another deputy turned off Lee Drive and onto Stovall Road. Hudgins' body was taken to Jackson for an autopsy which was to be performed Saturday night.
Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith pronounced Hudgins dead at the scene. "He died instantly," Meredith said. Meredith, the owner of Meredith-Nowell Funeral Home, said Hudgins' funeral will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, at Clarksdale Baptist Church. Thompson noted that Hudgins started out as a part-time deputy in October 1996. He completed his training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Academy and became a full-time deputy in October 2003. "Wayne just celebrated his fourth year as a full-time deputy," said Thompson proudly.
A trooper from the Mississippi Highway Patrol was called to the accident scene and investigated . The Coahoma County Volunteer Fire Department was also called to the scene to use of the "Jaws of Life" to extract Hudgins from the car. Hudgins earlier served as a volunteer firefighter according to Coahoma County Fire Chief Jimmy Williams. The deputy who was following Hudgins along Stovall Road reported "seeing blue lights" and then "they disappeared." Thompson said that deputy began to back track on Stovall Road and discovered Hudgins vehicle slammed into a tree.
Thompson called Hudgins a "hard-working and dedicated deputy who loved his profession". "In fact, the Coahoma County Sheriff's Department was his life," stated Thompson. "Wayne was energetic. He never refused an assignment, and you could rest assured it would be done." He called Hudgins "conscientious - a person who was well -liked in the county." Mike Rawlinson of National Funeral Home said he was coming to Clarksdale from his home in Farrell and saw the traffic on Stovall Road. He stated that officers were re-routing traffic because of emergency equipment.
Copyright 2007 by the Clarksdale Press Register.