Texas State Police Sgt and a military veteran who died in the line of duty was hailed as a hero for preventing an even greater tragedy.
Navasota Police Sergeant Mark Butler was killed in a head-on collision while pursuing a suspect wanted for attempting to cash a fake check, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a site dedicated to remembering law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
The ordeal began just after 3pm on Wednesday, January 15th when the College Station Police Department (CSPD) responded to a forgery in progress at Prosperity Bank.
Officials said officers made contact with the suspect, who was trying to cash a fake check and fled in a black Jeep Wrangler when approached.
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Navasota Police Sergeant Mark Butler was killed in a head-on collision while chasing a suspect who tried to cash a fake check Wednesday afternoon. (Officer Down Memorial Page)
Officers were dispatched with a suspect who was reported traveling the wrong way on Highway 6 in Navasota, 24 miles outside College Station.
At 3:30 p.m., officers said Butler, who was traveling northbound, maneuvered his marked patrol vehicle and collided with the suspect, preventing her from hitting other drivers on the highway.
Officials said Butler was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died. The wrong-way driver, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bryan’s family from Texas spoke to KBTX and praised Butler for his heroism and credited him with saving the lives of other drivers.
“I don’t believe we would have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for the officer,” Jonathan Crider told KBTX of the harrowing moments before the crash. “He selflessly gave himself up so that no one else would get hurt.”
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Navasota Police Sergeant Mark Butler was killed Wednesday while chasing a wrong-way driver wanted for trying to cash a fake check. (LinkedIn)
Crider told KBTX that he and his co-workers were returning to Bryan from a landscaping job in Cypress when they saw a black Jeep Wrangler speeding toward them. At the last moment, Crider said, Butler maneuvered his patrol car into the path of the Jeep, preventing the oncoming car from hitting Crider’s truck and other vehicles around it.
“We changed lanes five seconds before the crash,” Crider said. “He didn’t swerve or brake. He sacrificed himself to save everyone behind us. I truly owe him my life.”
Officials said the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is investigating the crash, while the College Station Police Department is assisting in the investigation of the forgery incident.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to Sergeant Butler’s family, colleagues and the entire Navasota community at this incredibly difficult time,” the College Station Police Department wrote in a social media post.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called Butler’s death “a heartbreaking reminder of the danger our law enforcement officers face every time they leave home for work,” referring to Butler and Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesus Vargas, who was shot and killed in duty on Wednesday.
“Today we lost two police officers in the line of duty,” Patrick wrote in a post on X. “Texas law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities live forever in our hearts. Please pray tonight for both of these heroes” families. They have suffered such a great loss.”
Texas Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst also expressed her condolences in a post on her Facebook page, saying it was “difficult to comprehend this sudden and senseless loss of life.”
“Our hearts are broken tonight and I join the entire Navasota community in expressing our deepest condolences to the family of Navasota Police Sergeant Mark Butler,” she wrote. “Sergeant Butler tragically died in the line of duty late this afternoon when a woman who was evading arrest crashed into his patrol car during a police pursuit.
“It is difficult to comprehend this sudden and wanton loss of life. Those who wear blue risk so much to protect us all. … Let us remember their sacrifices in times like these. He lived his life to serve others.”
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“Please keep Sergeant Butler’s family, friends and the Navasota Police Department in your prayers during this time. He died in the line of duty, protecting and serving the public and will never be forgotten.”
According to Officer Down’s Memorial Page, Butler was a veteran of the United States Army and served with the Navasota Police Department for nearly four years.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Tips and story ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
