A Dubach police officer was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by an 18-wheeler while conducting a traffic stop.
Russell Croxton, 51, of Dubach, was a recent addition to the Dubach Police Department. He had served some years ago as Dubach’s chief of police, and more recently, as a police officer with the Louisiana Tech University Police Department.
Louisiana State Police, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Ruston Ambulance Service responded to the scene shortly before 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
According to Louisiana State Police, Croxton had stopped a 2014 Fprd Explorer on U.S. 167 just south of Hamilton Road for a traffic violation when his 2020 Chevrolet patrol truck and the stopped motorist’s vehicle were struck by an 18-wheeler.
LSP said Croxton had exited his vehicle and was standing next to the driver’s side window of the Explorer speaking to the stopped driver. A 2022 Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle, driven by 61-year-old Michael Sutterfield of Russellville, Arkansas, was traveling north on U.S. 167 in the right lane. For reasons still under investigation, Sutterfield failed to move from the right lane to yield to the stopped patrol vehicle. As a result, the 18-wheeler struck the rear of the Chevrolet, causing it to rotate to the right. After striking the Chevrolet, Sutterfield’s vehicle continued north and struck Officer Croxton before striking the Ford Explorer.
Officer Croxton was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. Sutterfield and the driver of the Ford were both properly restrained and uninjured. Although impairment is not suspected, routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation by LSP.
Officer Croxton was a young child when his father, Ruston Police Sergeant Raymond Croxton, was killed in a single-vehicle patrol car crash in May 1978. Sgt. Croxton was believed to have been in pursuit of a violator at the time of the crash. Russell Croxton had told fellow Lincoln Parish law officers that the death of his father served as an impetus in his pursuit of a career as a law enforcement officer.
