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Brewton Police: Chase That Claimed Principal’s Life Was Justified
August 12, 2010
Brewton’s police chief said his officer was acting within his department’s chase policy Wednesday night when a high speed chase ended with the death of a suspect and the principal of T.R. Miller High School.
Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin defended the officer’s actions during the chase, saying that his officer, who was not named during a press conference Thursday, had slowed and backed off the chase prior to its tragic end — the death of Donald Rotch, T.R. Miller principal (pictured left)
McGougin said a red Pontiac Grand Am driven by Samuel Martin Reid, 39, pulled into the parking lot of the Brewton Police Department on Highway 31 at 8:02 p.m. Officers reported that the driver appeared to be in a physical altercation with a woman in the car.
“The door of the vehicle would repeatedly open and close, open and close,” the police chief said officers observed in the department’s parking lot. As the Brewton officer approached the car, it sped away, headed north on Highway 31.
“The officer gave chase,” McGougin said. About that time, a woman was “tossed” from the car, he said. The woman was not injured. Shortly after the chase began, the officer “put a great distance” between his car and the suspect vehicle by 8:04 p.m.
“When he topped a hill, ” McGougin said, “he saw a large explosion two hills ahead of him” as the crash happened. He said the entire incident from the time the car left the police station until the crash took about two minutes.
Reid was trying to pass a white car occupied by a Florida family when the crash happened. The family was not injured, but debris heavily damaged their sedan.
“This has been very hard on the officer involved,” McGougin said. He said the officer, who has been place on adminstrative leave, was a T.R. Miller student and played baseball with Rotch at his coach. “He is taking this extremely hard.”
“This is a situation that could have been completely prevented,” Mia Reid, sister of the deceased, said. ”
The accident is under investigation by the Alabama State Trooper’s Vehicular Homicide Unit.
Read a previous story about the chase and crash here.
Photos top: The vehicle driven by T.R. Miller Principal Donald Rotch. Pictured below: The vehicle drive by Samuel Martin Reid. Photos courtesy WEAR TV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
19 Responses to “Brewton Police: Chase That Claimed Principal’s Life Was Justified”
The death of a by-stander rest on the criminal. Before you pass judgement on a police officer sign away you rights to request them to come to your aid when you are in danger. The cop did not ask for the crime he was responding to but he responded to it. Pound your fist saying no chase is ever needed and the criminals will have the run over all of you. Like gun control you will only be able to control the ones who obey the law and live by it. A criminal does not play by your rules. Ever tried to win a game rigged for the other side? The criminal kill this man! The officer did what we ask of him! He walked into danger for the safety of all of us. In todays world you can’t even depend on someone to stop and help your wife change a tire on the side of the road but you can find a bus load to trash talk someone who is willing to give his or her life to defend us. Two minutes was the time the chase lasted. A officer saw a person who appeared to be in danger from another. He reacted to the situation as he was trained to do. A criminal was commiting a crime as he choose to do. We are headed down a road in this world were the criminals are going to win. We have become to smart to stop them. So when your wife is attacked or your child is taken advantage remember don’t call a cop CALL YOUR LOCAL CRIMINAL! They seem to have your ear.
It comes a point when police administration should weigh out the factors of such a senerio and develop policies that protect innocent people. Not that I totally blame the officer but where can you justify the loss os an innocent life for a misdeamenor at that, assuming he did in fact violate the domestic violence law. This was never stipulated. It’s time for a major overhaul of standard operating procedures throughout the county. God bless the family of those who suffered innocently. And there is not a one of us that would not be upset if this was our family.
I agree with David Huie Green, yes hold Reid responsible, but he’s dead and the people want their pound of flesh for the killing of an innocent by stander. With that said, the focus has shifted to police pursuit and the question becomes was that pursuit worth it. As in the article on Escambia County (Fla) policy, it is stated that a pursuit is equal to firing an officer’s gun. So before you pull the trigger (engage in a pursuit), every officer must weigh the options and not just go “Dukes of Hazard” like they always seem to do in Alabama.
REGARDING:
“So if you are going to blame soneone blame Reid”
Hold the individual responsible?
David scratching head at reasonable thought
regretting loss of the principal minding his own business,
living his own life, bothering nobody
Question: Did the woman jump from the car or was she forced? Earlier info has her as being “tossed’ from the vehicle, but where is the interview with the “victim” and her statement on what happened? Who tended to the woman on the side of the street and why didn’t Reid tend to her needs first since it has been said that she was in such danger?
How Tragic. The loss of an educator of his integrity will long be felt in a town the size of Brewton.
I don’t like cover-up either but this doesn’t sound like one if you pay attention
to witnesses statements.
They said the officer is having a hard time with this so
why don’t some of you just back off!
Yes Mia Reid this could have been prevented!!!! Your brother owns this
ONE! Not the police. I am sorry about your loss. And my heart goes out to
All the family members,students, and the police officer,
You know this happens every day some one wants to blame some one else if someone lost there life. Go back a read the update on the wreck, The door of the vehicle would repeatedly open and close, open and close,” the police chief said officers observed in the department’s parking lot. As the Brewton officer approached the car, it sped away, headed north on Highway 31. Now was the cop out of his car or in his car when he saw this, if he was out of the car and walking up to Reids car when he pulled out there is no way that he could have cought up with Reid. Reid had some distance between him and the cop so why did Reid keep driving at a high rate of speed. Now back to, The door of the vehicle would repeatedly open and close, open and close.What does this tell you, to me it tells me that the woman wanted out of the car but he would not let her. Also in the update is,The officer gave chase,” McGougin said. About that time, a woman was “tossed” from the car, he said. The woman was not injured. Shortly after the chase began, the officer “put a great distance” between his car and the suspect vehicle by 8:04 p.m. You can blame the cop all you want , you can say they are all bad, that they are to young, that they have no respect for the public. I read in one of the comments where cops would run lights to get to a MVA I want them to run lights to help me, there are people that will not even slow down to a Ambulance so I want them there to Protect me from people like you, to keep me from getting killed while trying to help some one else in there time of need. Just remember when you dial 911 who is the first person there, it will be a cop, even if it is a fight and you need a Ambulance we will not come on scene until a cop has made it safe for everyone.
There has been a lot of comments that there did not have to be a chase, that they knew the man, true but how could they find him, or all they had to do is get a tag number, true also but how do they know the car was not stolen, they could have picked him up latter, true again but how do they know he was not going to take her life, they don’t and neither do you. No matter what you do when it is your time to meet God nothing you can do will change that, I can Promise you HWY 31 was not empty with cars from the Brewton PD to where the wreck happened. So look at all the cars that had familes in them, all the cars that had teenagers driving them. So don’t blame the cops they did not make him run he decided he was not going to go to jail no matter what he had to do. So if you are going to blame soneone blame Reid for running from the Brewton PD parking lot and putting everones life in danger on the HWY when all he had to do was stay put!!
Prayers going out this morning to my hometown and Coach Rotch’s family For there Lost of a love one.
That officer was doing his job trying to protect the woman who was being assaulted in that car. The outcome is very sad but it is the fault of Mr Reid. My thoughts and prays go out to the officer and the friends and families of the deceased.
I hate when people blame the police when people die. If YOUR sister had been the woman thrown from the car, would you want the police to do nothing? The blame should be placed on Reid. If he had abided by the law and stopped for the officer, none of this would have happened. The families of all involved are in my prayers. I can’t imagine how that officer feels right now.
“McGougin said a red Pontiac Grand Am driven by Samuel Martin Reid, 39, pulled into the parking lot of the Brewton Police Department on Highway 31 at 8:02 p.m”
Why take chase at all? I’m sure if the car pulled into the police station parking lot , they have cameras and should be able to capture and run the tag at a later time, rather than chase the car through a busy road way full of people .
Sadly it cost lives
Since everyone is always against the Police officer, I say we just don’t have the law anymore!!! That is just what is going to happen because know one is going to want this job because when they do their job they are the one that gets blamed!!! When any of you need help who do you Run and call the Police!!!! SO STOP THE BLAME GAME!!!
Amen Molino Jim!!! You just said it all. No one and I mean no should ever run from the law.
molino jim- I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s where the blame can and should be placed. The person who made the decision to get into a vehicle and drive recklessly and endanger the lives of others. Everyone should think before they act. If not, be prepared to suffer the consequences whatever they may be. I feel for both families involved in this needless tragedy. People are so quick to lay blame on everyone but the person who started the entire chain of events. My thoughts and prayers go out to each family.
sick of cover ups- Channel 5 News reported that witnesses didn’t see the officer directly behind the fleeing suspect. The witness stated that the officer was a distance behind.
Was there an on board camera that was recording the whole thing in the cruiser? If not how can u say he acted according to departmental policy?
This is so sad, I cannot believe they would call it justified. That is nonsense. God bless this family!
One of the greatest fears of any law enforcement agent when he puts on that pistol and cranks his patrol car at the start of every shift is that he will be involved in something of this nature. He had rather be involved in helping citizens with
mundane everyday problems. Then at the blink of an eye, the whole world explodes in your face, and you have to make decisions faster than you can comprehend. Training and common sense have to take priority here. I understand the officer had backed off from the pursuit. Would I have? I was not there. I did not know the coach, but I know people who knew him. God bless him and his family.
Thanks for the update. True–it didn’t have to happen—all Reid had to do was to stop.