Spalding County deputy dies when tree falls on car, sheriff says
SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. August 1 2022Â A Spalding County Sheriff’s Office deputy died in a patrol car Sunday morning when a tree fell and crushed it, Sheriff Darrell Dix said.
The single-car crash happened at around 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning on Ga. Highway 16. Jamie Reynolds, a veteran law enforcement officer in his second year with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner.
It’s not clear if Reynolds was the car’s only occupant.
“Deputy Reynolds was eastbound on Georgia Highway 16 when a large pine tree fell on his unit just east of Shoal Creek Road,” Dix said in a statement. “The tree crushed the passenger compartment of the vehicle, killing Deputy Reynolds instantly.”
First responders rushed to the scene, but it was too late. Dix said he, Spalding County Manager Steve Ledbetter and Investigator Jess Gasaway — with assistance from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office — notified Reynolds’ wife and children.
Reynolds began his law enforcement career in 1995. He had been with Spalding County since 2021.
“He was a great guy who loved his family, had a deep faith, worked hard and always brought you solutions, not problems,” Dix said of Reynolds.
Dix said the sheriff’s office would work with Reynolds’ family to support them in the days ahead and noted more information would be released.
