People are calling the Texas police sergeant who died in the line of duty a hero for stopping even more tragedy.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler was killed in a head-on accident while chasing a suspect wanted for trying to cash a fake check. The page is meant to remember police officers who died in the line of duty.
Just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15, the College Station Police Department (CSPD) was called to Prosperity Bank to help with a fraud.
Police said they caught the female suspect. She was trying to cash a fake check and drove off in a black Jeep Wrangler when they got close.
The suspect was reported to be going the wrong way on Highway 6 in Navasota, which is 24 miles outside of College Station. Troopers were sent to the scene.
Officials say that at 3:30 p.m., Butler, who was going north, maneuvered his marked police vehicle and hit the suspect, stopping her from hitting other cars on the highway.
The police said Butler was taken to a nearby hospital but died there. The driver who was going the wrong way was declared dead at the scene of the accident. Their name has not been made public.
A family from Bryan, Texas, told KBTX that Butler had saved the lives of other drivers and that they were grateful for his bravery.
Jonathan Crider told KBTX that the moments before the crash were so scary that he doesn’t think they would have made it out alive without the officer. “He selflessly gave himself up so nobody else would perish.”
Critzer told KBTX that he and his coworkers saw a black Jeep Wrangler speeding toward them as they were driving back to Bryan from a gardening job in Cypress. According to Crider, Butler suddenly moved his police car into the path of the Jeep. This stopped the oncoming car from hitting Crider’s truck and other cars nearby.
“We changed lanes five seconds before the impact,” he said. “He didn’t turn or stop.” He gave up his life to save everyone behind us. I owe him my whole life.”
Officials say that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is in charge of the crash investigation. The College Station Police Department is helping with the investigation into the forgery event.
The College Station Police Department wrote on social media, “Our thoughts and condolences are with Sergeant Butler’s family, coworkers, and the whole Navasota community during this very sad time.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas said that Butler’s death was “a heartbreaking reminder of the danger our police officers face every time they leave home for work.” He was talking about Butler and Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesus Vargas, who was shot and killed on the job Wednesday.
Patrick wrote on X, “We lost two officers today in the line of duty.” “The Texas police officers who give their lives to protect our communities will always be in our hearts.” We ask that you pray for the families of these two heroes tonight. They have lost a lot of things.
On her Facebook page, Republican Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst also wrote that she was sorry for the death and said it was “hard to fathom this sudden and reckless loss of life.”
“Our hearts are broken tonight, and I join the entire Navasota community in extending deepest sympathy to the family of Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler,” she said. Sad to say, Sgt. Butler died in the line of duty late this afternoon when a woman trying to avoid arrest crashed head-on into his patrol car while police were chasing her.
“Please pray for Sgt. Butler’s family, friends, and the Navasota Police Department at this time. He died doing his job to protect and serve the people, and no one will ever forget him.
As per the Officer Down Memorial Page, Butler had been a soldier in the US Army and had worked for the Navasota Police Department for almost four years.
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