A deputy with the Bell County Sheriff’s Office, Texas, died in the line of duty over the weekend, an accident report states. Deputy John Andrew Rhoden, 32, passed away after a moving vehicle struck him in the early hours of Sunday, April 26th.
According to the press release by the BCSO, the accident took place at about 1:45 a.m. on Interstate 35 in the Temple area of the county. Rhoden was part of the officers called in to assist the William County Sheriff’s Office with a vehicle pursuit from Wilco.
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The deceased was trying to deploy spike strips on the roadway when a moving vehicle struck him. Rhoden sustained fatal wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office said the deceased has been working with them since 2010.
The Norwood, Massachusetts, native had his promotion to Field Deputy in August 2014, and he recently got assigned to the midnight shift Patrol Division. The Temple Police Department, together with the BCSO and the Texas Department of Public Safety, are collaborating on the investigation.
So far, they have not shared any details on the driver that struck Rhoden, or if he or she was the person the WCSO was chasing. They will provide updates on a later date.
The accident report also revealed that the 100 Club of Central Texas is providing money for the deceased’s funeral through the Survival Fund. The latter was created to support the families of lawmen who die in the line of duty.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
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