Driver charged after officer is killed moving ladder that fell from truck, TN cops say

A Tennessee man is facing charges in the death of a police officer after a ladder fell off his truck and onto the road, police told news outlets.

At 8 a.m. on Feb. 3, Sgt. Chris Jenkins of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office stopped his cruiser on Interstate 75 to remove debris from the roadway and was hit and killed by a semi-truck, according to the sheriff’s office. The 20-year law enforcement veteran left behind a son, daughter, and longtime girlfriend, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The debris was an orange ladder, later found to belong to Sonny Beason, a 35-year-old Loudon County man, Tennessee Highway Patrol told TV station WATE.

According to THP, Beason was driving a utility truck when the ladder, which he had not properly secured, fell from the back of the truck, the outlet reported.

Beason is charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and a charge of driving with a suspended license, WVLT reported.

The semi-truck driver, Christopher Savannah of Houston, Texas, also was arrested, the sheriff’s office said.

Savannah, 43, was under the influence of marijuana when he crashed into multiple cars and then Jenkins on I-75, WVLT reported.

Savannah is facing charges, including vehicular homicide by intoxication, DUI and more, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Driver charged after officer is killed moving ladder that fell from truck, TN cops say."