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N.C. Trooper Killed While Deploying Stop Sticks

September 09, 2012 |

Photo courtesy of North Carolina DPS.

A North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper was struck and killed early Saturday, while he attempted to deploy stop sticks to halt a pursuit of a suspect.

Trooper Bobby Demuth, 42, was killed at 7:44 a.m. on U.S. 64 near Spring Hope in Nash County near the end of a 20-mile chase initiated by the Raleigh Police Department, according to a highway patrol release.

Raleigh officers were pursuing a 1995 Nissan 200SX driven by Christopher McCoy Rodgers, 40. Rodgers was wanted on charges of burglary, common law robbery, two counts of kidnapping, assault on a female, assault on a child, and obtaining property by false pretense, according to a Raleigh PD release.

After killing Trooper Demuth, Rodgers drove a short distance and struck a guard rail. He was taken into custody. Demuth, a 12-year veteran, is survived by a wife and son.

Tags: Vehicle Pursuits, Duty Deaths, North Carolina Highway Patrol

Comments (4)

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4
Bob@Az. @ 9/10/2012 7:38 PM RIP Trooper Demuth. Sorry to lose another Hero on the Line. May this pos rodgers demise be swift and painful. Blues, stay safe and alert!!
TLBACH @ 9/10/2012 8:12 PM How long have "Stop Sticks" been in use? How many LEOs have been killed or inured deploying them. Has no one ever come up with a simple deployment launcher, so the "deploy-er" doesn't have to place him/her self so much in harms way?? Another fine LOE and his family suffers because some Engineer didn't finish the job.
Random @ 9/11/2012 3:23 AM Re TLBACH, Challenge accepted. I will design and attempt to sell such a devise. Remember you complaint and advocate to your chief for there purchase. Please keep the requests for products coming.
Henry @ 11/30/2012 1:44 AM Tire deflation devices can be deployed from cover. It takes pre planning to select these locations, that are suitable for safe deployment. What happens is an officer rushes to a spot he thinks might work to find it is inadequate, but he has no time to seek another location. A launcher device would provide the same result under those conditions. Unpacking and setting up consumes time and exposure, cover provides safety.

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4

Bob@Az. @ 9/10/2012 7:38 PM

RIP Trooper Demuth. Sorry to lose another Hero on the Line. May this pos rodgers demise be swift and painful. Blues, stay safe and alert!!

TLBACH @ 9/10/2012 8:12 PM

How long have "Stop Sticks" been in use?
How many LEOs have been killed or inured deploying them.
Has no one ever come up with a simple deployment launcher, so the "deploy-er" doesn't have to place him/her self so much in harms way??
Another fine LOE and his family suffers because some Engineer didn't finish the job.

Random @ 9/11/2012 3:23 AM

Re TLBACH, Challenge accepted. I will design and attempt to sell such a devise. Remember you complaint and advocate to your chief for there purchase. Please keep the requests for products coming.

Henry @ 11/30/2012 1:44 AM

Tire deflation devices can be deployed from cover. It takes pre planning to select these locations, that are suitable for safe deployment. What happens is an officer rushes to a spot he thinks might work to find it is inadequate, but he has no time to seek another location. A launcher device would provide the same result under those conditions. Unpacking and setting up consumes time and exposure, cover provides safety.

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