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School Principal Dies When Hit Head-on By Man Fleeing Police; Suspect Also Dead
August 12, 2010
T.R. Miller High School Principal Donald Rotch was killed Wednesday night when his vehicle was hit head-on by a man fleeing Brewton Police in a high-speed chase.
(Read an update to this story by clicking here.)
Samuel Martin Reid, the man being chased by police, also died in the crash on Highway 31 north of Walmart near Old Castleberry Road.
Brewton Police reportedly attempted to pull over Reid, but he fled in what was described as a “high-speed” chase that lasted for about three miles shortly after 8 p.m. The chase reportedly began after a domestic dispute in the parking lot of the Brewton Police Department. the chase reportedly reached speeds over 100 mph on Highway 31.
Rotch (pictured) was southbound on Highway 31 toward Brewton when his vehicle was struck by Reid. The accident site was less than two miles from T.R. Miller High School.
There were no passengers in either vehicle. The accident is still under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.
Rotch had served as T.R. Miller’s principal for about 10 years. Known fondly as “Coach Rotch”, he served as the head baseball coach and assistant football coach during his long career at the Brewton school. Rotch, who joined the T.R. Miller staff in 1974, was on the coaching staff that led the Tiger’s to a state football championship in 1984 and 1991.
Word quickly spread through Brewton that T.R. Miller’s beloved principal had been killed. Within hours, a memorial Facebook page eulogized Coach Rotch.
“From the Freshmen Class all the way out to our Alumni, Coach Rotch was there. He was a mentor, a principal, a coach, and a friend to all. His name will forever be remembered in the halls of T.R. Miller High School. He changed so many peoples lives with his guidance. He will forever be in the hearts and minds of everyone who knew him. Rest in Peace Coach Rotch, and we will miss you,” the Facebook memorial stated.
Photos top and bottom courtesy WEAR TV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
70 Responses to “School Principal Dies When Hit Head-on By Man Fleeing Police; Suspect Also Dead”
I just can’t see patterning our life around Muslim ways such as lopping off hands and heads. There must be more humane ways to deal with criminals which will stop them from committing crimes.
I DO wish movies didn’t show chase scenes in which people pull off extremely dangerous driving without anyone at all being hurt, though.
I used to joke about Burt Reynolds’ car in Smokey and the Bandit, how the car never got a scratch. Most people would drive safer if they just realized how easy it is to damage a fender–say nothing to killing someone by accident.
The reason we got all this CRIME ,, the ,, USA is to soft on CRIME ,, we have to keep our doors locked ,, and ever thing else ,, so no one will still ,, what we have worked for , WE SHOULD DO LIKE,, SADIA ARABIA ,, IF A MAN CAUGHT STEALING ,, CHOP HIS HANDS OFF , THAT WOULD GET EVER BODY’S ATTENTION , MABY HAVE A FEW HANGING UP ON THE COURT HOUSE LAWN ,,IF WE DON’T DO SOMETHING THE GOOD PEOPLE ,, WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE ….
This is one of the most tradget things we have ever wittnessed , and my heart goes out to the family .
But people are just looking for some one to blame , And you know what ,, they never want to blame the bad guy ,, the criminals can do any thing they want to , terriorize the people , and get away with any thing it looks like , and then if some one get hurt , all people wants to do is blame , The Law , for trying to stop them .
Good people has always had to suffer for the bad guys , Look at all the men AND WOMEN , in the armed forces dying ever day to give us FREEDOM , People need to wake up and realize CRIME IS TAKEING OVER ,, SUPPORT YOUR LAW INFORCE MENT
William, where’d ya find all these intelects? Suppose I’m a cop & I see a man toss or push a female from his vehicle, which is Domestic Violence,…….I’m gonna let him take off & go get his name & info from the female, then have a warrant issued….or……I see a hooded suspect run outa a bank, I’m gonna go jot down his tag # , as he is fleeing, & issue a warrant……you people make me sick. Let’s just get rid of LEO, we don’t need them do we??? This is a very sad situation, for all involved, but it all happened because Reid made a choice. A VERY BAD CHOICE….. Who would all you citizen/lawyers lay blame on if the officer had just let him go, & later that night he killed his wife? Why LEO of course…..
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.
@■N.H.F.
you say why are cops so stupid? why are people so stupid? lets say the woman he was with he was beating. lets say that woman was your mother or sister or daughter. lets say the officer did not go after him how would you feel then? would you then say that officer did not do his job he should be fired i am suing him. the officers always seem to be in the wrong no matter what they do. i feel for the officer. him doing his job and being ridiculed for it.
TO WOMEN OF GOD YOU ARE SO RIGHT ,I FEEL THE OFFICE SHOULD HAVE FOUND OUT THE REASON FOR THIS BEFORE HE TOOK OFF CHASEING SOME ONE. THIS HAPPEN REAL REGULAR HIGH SPEED CHASE IT ONLY PUT OTHER PEOPLE LIFE IN DANGER BECAUSE THESE OFFICE NO THERE ARE OTHER CARS ARE ON THE ROAD OTHER THEN THEM AND THE CAR THEY ARE CHASEING IF THE OFFICER WOULD JUST WAIT THEN SOON OR LATER THE PERSON WOULD BE CAUGHT WITHOUT A CHASE. IF YOU LOOK AT IT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE OFFICER THEN WHO WILL BE THE BLAME. OFFICER STOP CHASEING PEOPLE THEN THIS WILL NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE. I NO YOU ARE TRYING TO DO YOUR JOB BUT STOP THE 10-100s MY PRAYERS GOES OUT TO ALL THE FAMILYS THAT WAS INVOID REMEMBER GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US, HE IS BY OUR SIDE AT ALL TIME BE BLESS
To both family’s my paryer go up for you .To the comunty this is not a time to try to fine who to blame in this.It tragedy. It is time to come together to try to help both family’s As they grive the loss of thier love one .And help each other get through this sad time. God sit’s high and look’s low look to Him for strength.
During the press conference today, it was disclosed that Reid and a woman were observed by a police corporal involved in an apparent dispute in Reid’s car, which was in the parking lot of the police department. Reid, upon seeing the officer, fled, tossing the female passenger out of the car as he left the parking lot. I believe that constitutes a felony and showed Reid’s total disregard for human life. The corporal had backed off from the pursuit BEFORE the crash, yet Reid continued to drive at excessive speeds.
As far as a blanket “no pursuit” policy goes, if that were ever to come about, all any criminal would have to do to escape arrest would be to flee from the police. In this particular case, I believe the police response was appropriate. I’m just sorry an innocent person had to die as a result of Reid’s actions.
It is a horrible thing that happened last night. The cops did not chase him for the heck of it to add excitment to an uneventful Wednesday night. Everyone involved in the situation has suffered. The officer has to deal with seeing two people hit and die. The families of the two men have to deal with the loss of a family member. I personally know the officer, Coach Rotch was my principal, and Mr. Reid was the brother of a girl I went to school with. My heart and prayers go out to all individuals involved.
Some PD departments have implimented “No High Speed Chase” policies. Corpus Christi, TX being one. This was done for the safety of the officers as well as innocent bystanders and drivers. Maybe this is something all PD departments should consider.
What would the outcome be if the officer had not chased, most likely still the same outcome, because he choose to flee from the police and I doubt he was looking back or thinking about his actions, just wanted to get away. He was the cause of this accident by his own actions, trying to outrun the police and not paying attention to the road, Prayers for all that are involved,
When a police officer shouts “Stop!” or some other such command and the perpetrator still decides to flee, then the officer should shoot to enforce the “Stop!” order. That would certainly prevent, or reduce, high speed chases. No more innocent bystanders killed in “accidental” car crashes, although there may then be some hit by stray bullets. No easy answers. Don’t second guess trained law officers—they put their life on the line every day they show up for work. My heart is very sad for family members burying their loved ones.
I belive that everyone just needs to stop all the bickering and offer support and love out to the family’s Involved. This is a VERY BAD tragidy that happened!!!!! God bless the familys of ALL INVOLVED and I will be praying for peace within.
I hope this will be an example for those who speed and those who chase. It ’s not that important that it will take an innocent persons life, especially on a two lane road. STOP the chasing, depending on the crime (the Police has to make that call, but make sure you can live with the end results), we need to know when and when not to chase. Make a choice what is more important catching your man or stopping a potential loss of life.
I am sadden at the thought that someone had to loose there life because of others decision to out-run the police and the police decision to chase.
GET YOUR MAN, but not at the expense of others.
MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO BOTH FAMILIES…HOW IN THE WORLD COULD SOMEONE GET ON HERE AND BLAME THE OFFICERS FOR ATTEMPTING TO DO THEIR JOB. WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IF THE PERSON KILLED BY THE FLEEING SUSPECT WAS UR FATHER, BROTHER OR UNCLE? THE ROLE WOULD BE REVERSED THEN. I AM SORRY TO KNOW THAT THE MR. REID WAS GOING THROUGH SOME TROUBLESOME TIMES IN HIS LIFE. BUT WE ARE ALL IN CONTROL OF THE ACTIONS THAT WE TAKE…MR. REID SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THE KID THAT HE HAS BEFORE GOING OUT DOING SUCH MEANINGLESS ACTS…HE WAS JUST IN JAIL WASTED SOMEONES HARD EARNED MONEY TO BOND HIM OUT. THEN TURN AROUND AND DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS…I FEEL AS THOUGH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS ONLY TRYING TO PROTECT AND SERVE. SO NEXT TIME YOU NEED THEM TO COME OUT TO YOUR HOME OR PLACE OF RESIDENSE CALL A CRACKHEAD TO HANDLE YOUR SITUATION. CAUSE THE POLICE ARE GOOD FOR NOTHING AS YOU ALL ARE SAYING ON HERE…PEOPLE STOP BLAMEING OTHERS…PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS AND AT AGE 40 (MR. REID) SHOULD HAVE HIS THINGS IN ORDER…MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL PARTIES INVOLVED!!!!
Well said Flight Medic! I have the upmost respect for any rescue personnel or law enforcement. These men and women go through special training for what they do, they don’t get out of the bed one morning and decide to wear a badge or a fire helmet, etc.
Rondi…..Really??? “80 percent of the policeman in Brewton are kids that have no connections with the citizens of Brewton. A boy reacts but a man thinks abouit his actions. This situation would have never happen when you had native officer on the force like Lovelace, Broughton, Thomas, and Bird that was respected in the community”-
—–It’s fools like you that make it hard for these young officers to gain any respect. Since when did you have to have connections within the town to work? These men and women are making a living supporting their very own families and putting their life on the line FOR YOU everyday they get up and put that badge on and patrol the streets of YOUR community. I think people need to stop pointing fingers toward the officer, he/she was just doing their job. If the law had backed off the high speed chase and something still happened you guys would still be pointing fingers and blameing the law for not going after Reid. We just need to keep the two families in our prayers.
if only you knew on August 12th, 2010 1:07 pm
Apples and Oranges..
Two separate scenarios. In yours, I would understand pursuing.
This tragic event is different. The offender was AT THE POLICE STATION ALREADY!! There had to be a reason he was there. I’m sure people don’t go there just to hang out. I find it hard to believe that there were no signs that this person was fixing to bolt. Proper action should have been taken.
You need to understand, I am not placing any blame on this officer. He was just doing his job as instructed.
I will say it again, for the 3rd time. I am withholding judgment. I was commenting on the actions of the Police Department at large and not in this event. I even stated that all the police are not bad, but the bad ones give the good ones bad reps.
My comments, are not thoughtless. How dare you insinuate as such. My thoughts have been on Coach all day. Why must you insist, again, that they are? A great man was killed, murdered, yesterday. In order to stop such a thing like this happening again, we MUST find out what went wrong.
Please read ALL of my comments before your retort. You will make more sense that way. Better yet, don’t bother. You can not seem to have an Intelligent conversation with out stooping to name calling and trying to insult my intelligence.
I have said my peace. And do not want to fill this article up with a meaningless flame war with somebody does not matter to me nor will take the time to spell check or use proper punctuation.
My last comment on this thread……
If we don’t look at the past and correct our mistakes, we will be sure to repeat them.
While on two different visits to Brewton we were almost hit by the Brewton PD. Our first visit we were almost hit by the PD patrol cars when they were flying down Hwy 31 to the new What-a-Burger. We were headed there also just to get coffee. When we got there a pick up truck was parked to the side of the lot with the door open and cooler on the ground. PD under cover and other PD cars had blocked the truck. We went in to get our coffee and was told it was just a What-a-Burger employee(under age) and her boyfriend drinking in the parking lot. All these PD cars and dangerous driving to get to a simple call.
The second visit to Brewton we were on Hwy 31 and all of a sudden we were facing a speeding Brewton PD car, no lights running. He almost clipped the back of our truck. When we got to Walmart there were three more cars parked at the front door. We went in to shop and was told that it was just a small shop lifting call. My husband told the manager how we almost was hit by one of the PD cars and she said” Yes, they do that all the time, I am not sure why.” I say this only to let the Brewton PD know it is not good to over re-act on all the calls and to the residents of Brewton I say, when you see a speeding under cover or PD be careful. God Bless the souls that were lost, there is a lesson in this accident. God Bless all of us left behind to mourn.
Anon
you are exactly right when you said im entitled to my own opinion.. but OBVIOUSLY you dont any of the facts, you stated so yourself, Common sense would tell you, If the officer was able to cuff him, he would have..
take this incident into consdieration before you post your comments:
You are a police officer and you are behind a SUV, the small children inside the car are not buckled in child restraints and are bouncing around inside the car, you attempt to stop the car.. the driver flees… and you follow him/her.. the SUV wrecks and kills all the children inside.. I suppose that would be the officers fault 2 right???
get some facts before you state your thought less opinions…
Yes somethings just happen that way..
Wow, I am disappointed but not suprised by some of the comments people are making. I am a Flight Paramedic and I have worked in law enforcement. This incident is tragic no matter who’s at blame. What I can tell you is that a law enforcement officer, paramedic, emt, first responder,or fire fighter doesnt have the 12 – 14 hours that you have just had to pick apart the case to make a decision. We make decisions based on the information at hand, whether it be a Shooting, Murder, Domestic, Motor Vehicle Accident, Mecical Call, Cardiac Event, or whatever the case. We have seconds to make these decisions. Our decisions may not always be the same decision that you would have made under the same circumstances but we are the people that are highly trained and trusted to carry out these decisions.
If anyone could look into the future, we may be able to see that the person running from the law could have been about to barricade himself in a residence and take the lives of innocent children, innocent wives, mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts or uncles. I recently had a flight where a father was in a rage after a Domestic Assault and took the lives of three kids, their mother, then himself. So please dont make this person out to be running from the problem. He was running from the justice system and putting innocent people in jeapordy with due disreguard to public safety.
As for Brewton P.D. I applaud you, for attempting to keep my hometown where my kids go to school and live safe. I am saddened by Principal Rotch loosing his life. So I leave you with the feeling that I look to Principal Rotch as a hero, one that gave his life to possibly safe some other innocent person from loosing theirs.
This is a tragedy. Prayers need to go out to the families of everyone involved (including the police officers). Events such as this not only stick with the families of the deceased, but the officers who saw this happen.
The one poster on here said he witnessed the suspect pulling out at a high rate of speed. So wjho’s to say if he would have slowed down whether he was being pursued or not?
My condolences to all family and friends of the deceased.
if you only knew on August 12th, 2010 11:17 am
You are entitled to your opinion, just like we are. Like i said before, I am withholding judgment until all the facts come out. But, they probably wont. Mark my words, the department will make it so that NO BLAME is placed on them.
I am more familiar with domestic disputes/Violence than you know. Why was he not placed in handcuffs? Somebody correct me if I’m mistaken, but that is procedure in such cases like this. I’m am quite sure that there were signs. He did not just go from talking normally, to busting and running.
But hey, i don’t have any common sense. Its OK, keep living in your world, I will live in mine.
“Brewton Police Department does not have a bad reputation at all”
Um, ya they do…..sorry to disappoint you. Maybe if you talked to people outside of the “Thin Blue Line” you would see.
All i know is a great man lost his life. Everybody needs to ask themselves how this could have been prevented. If nothing is done, it will happen again. Can we afford to loose people like this man? Think of all the lives this man has touched? Think of all the good he could have done to future leaders of our community.
I am very sorry this happened to what seems like a nice man, who was well liked and respected. I don’t live in Brewton, but last week I was almost in the same kind of situation. I don’t know if the Brewton Policeman was following someone or not but he almost ran into the car that I was in. All I’m saying that the police need to be more careful. I know we have an extroadinary amount of criminals on the loose, but we have a lot of law abiding citizens like the Coach that something like this can happen again. My prayers go out to the family of this dear man.
Brewton Police Department is not to blame. some of the people leaving comments on here need to get some common sense. And EVERY one leaving comments about the Police Department need to get their facts straight. A domestic dispute can be many things, but i guess all of you on here know that.. its not just an argument its fights 2. Also known as domestic violence…the paper only said dispute because they dont know what happend and neither do any of you… and about it starting at the police department..Im sooo sure the officer said” oh,Im not going to put you in Hnadcuffs, im going to let you get in your car,so i can chase you, so you can make bad decisions and kill innocent people”.. Brewton Police Department does not have a bad reputation at all.. No not everyone is pleased with it, but name ONE, JUST ONE place of employment that EVERYONE in Brewton IS PLEASED with. YOU CANT.. if you really assume that this officer was Gung-ho, lett’ em go so i can catch em’ you have lost your mind, completely.
GOD BLESS THAT OFFICER!!!!!
HE IS IN OUR PRAYERS…
Rest in Peace Coach. You will be missed. You were a great man. And a great friend of my family. Prayers go out to family, friends, coworkers and students.
one more thing…..
I also knew Martin Reid….he was really struggling with his life choices…rather not go into details, but any logical person can figure out what was going on.
It’s just terrible…the whole thing! From an innocent person getting killed to individuals giving their whole lives up for bad choices.
“That sends a really good message paul. If someone runs don’t chase them unless it is something serious. And police officers know when it is serious because they are all psychic. I guess that if an officers attempts to pull you over for speeding you should just run and they should NEVER chase you for it.
The bottom line is that an officer NEVER knows why a person is running. On rare occasions people do get hurt or killed as a result of a crash that was chase related but you never hear about the chases that end without injury or death. A couple months ago a Trooper stopped a car on I 65. The driver kidnapped the adult female passenger and her child. They were in the vehicle. He stopped them for not signaling a lane change. This man admitted that his plans were to kill both of them. If the kidnapper had ran and we went by Pauls philosophy, both the woman and her child would be dead.
Leave these decisions up to the law enforcement officer and shut up or become one and make these decisions for yourself.”
I tend to agree with you, but may i retort.
The problem here is the reputation that the Brewton Police has. I see police cars doing at least 60 MPH down Douglas Ave en route to a fender bender. We see police running with lights on for nothing but trying to get back to the office. I see police running with out lights on speeding in there car just cause they can. I see private cars with the “blue line” tag on the front of the car, blatantly breaking the law, just cause they can. I see it everyday.
If the police would abide by the laws that they are supposed to enforce, the community would not act like they do when something like this happens. They would realize that such action was needed, and it was not a cop trying to pump himself up.
Once again, Coaches family and friends are in my prayers. I know the policeman was just doing his job, but something needs to be done about the attitude of law enforcement. I can only hope Mr. Jackson gets elected and we will not have to worry about this in the Sheriffs office at least.
Yes, the person that fleed police is at falt, he started it , he should have stayed where he was at IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT! The police could have hadcuffed him untill they could figure out what was going on, they still had who ever he was in the dipute with so they could find out where he lived. And when it got to high speeds of over 100 they should have backed off in a busy, city and residential area. I mean really, take his tag number, you know then where he lives go get him at home!
So like the show world’s DUMBEST that comes on, It’s up to those of us to THINK What is the best way to handle this? THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!!!
My thoughts and prayers go out to the famlies of Coach Rotch and Martin.
I live in Brewton and am a 2001 graduate of TRM.
I was pulling into the restaurant Mark’s last night. And I actually witnessed Martin’s car pulling out of the Police department/city hall exit. He went extremely fast. I looked back and thought to myself “what the heck.”. Then I seen the police car come from behind him. As I was ordering my food there, I heard two more police car coming to be involved in the chase. When I was done getting my food and ready to pull out….the firetruck was headed Northbound on 31.
It happened that quick. Life can take you by a storm. I was thinking last night when I heard about it…..that it could have been me…..makes you wonder!!!!!!!!!
The police department really needs to take a look at the protocol of “chases”. By no means should the police department be held accountable for what happened. However, Hwy 31 is not the LA Freeway! They should change the procedures up.
If he wasn’t guilty of something,he wouldn’t have been running.anybody you know flee when pulled over by police?
That sends a really good messege paul. If someone runs don’t chase them unless it is something serious. And police officers know when it is serious because they are all psychic. I guess that if an officers attempts to pull you over for speeding you should just run and they should NEVER chase you for it.
The bottom line is that an officer NEVER knows why a person is running. On rare occasions people do get hurt or killed as a result of a crash that was chase related but you never hear about the chases that end without injury or death. A couple months ago a Trooper stopped a car on I 65. The driver kidnapped the adult female passenger and her child. They were in the vehicle. He stopped them for not signaling a lane change. This man admitted that his plans were to kill both of them. If the kidnapper had ran and we went by Pauls philosophy, both the woman and her child would be dead.
Leave these decisions up to the law enforcment officer and shut up or become one and make these decisions for yourself.
A high speed chase for a “dispute” is wrong, I could almost see it if it was domestic violence but that wasn’t the case. This is just one of many chase scenes that have taken out innocent victims. Thank you Sheriff Morgan for not letting this happen in Escambia County.
RE: `04 Grad – God did this, huh? What a gracious God he is….no, I think that there is reason to blame someone in the flesh, because it WAS! That man KILLED him. Would you see it differently if he held him at gunpoint and shot him? Would that still be God that did it? If Mr. Reid would have survived this crash, would you not want him to face punishment for what HE did? I surely would.
My smpathy goes out to this family and all friends.
I come from a long line of police offices and have nothing but respect for all of them. However, this is senseless! The police have to know when to pull back. Did they know this guy? Did they have his tag number? Could they not have picked him up later? Was it life or death to get this “man” now? Please! These offices have to use more common sense. I think too many cop shows, and the news, have sensationalized this high speed chases! It made me sice to read this. My heart goes out to the family, the school, and the community.
Sammy Lee
The guy who ran is at fault here…not the police!! If the police don’t persue there will be even more criminals “running” and putting others in danger! Blaming the police is not helping the family. My prayers to the family.
What has happened in Brewton is devastatingly shocking and an unforgettable tragedy that has not only affected families, but a huge family of TR Miller graduates, current students and our community as a whole. Donnie Rotch was a prominent citizen and his memory will be kept alive infinitely. We should all take a moment and realize how quickly our life can change and remember that tomorrow is not promised! My thoughts and prayers are with both families and the Brewton Police Department and all emergency personnel that were involved with the incident.
Martin is my cuzin and i will miss him deeply. What ever his family is going through believe me its not good at all. I lost a child in a one car accident back in 05 and i’m still dealing with the loss now. And the family of the principle i’m so sorry. If he had any children i also no what they are going through because i lost my father in 93 and its still hard. What i’m trying to say if you haven’t went through the loss what these families are going through now; you would not understand. To the police officer i no you are takeing it hard as well; but do me a favor think to yourself did you do the right thing or not and if you get more yes’s then no’s you no you did the right thing. But i do think you should of waited and found out by the other person he was argueing with and asked whats the problem; before chaseing him. If he wasn’t wanted, or killed someone you should of waited and found out where he lived and then solved the problem that way. Like a cop told my husband one day when he was speeding to get to my son who had got hit by a truck when he was younger.He said sir i no your trying to make it to your son but what if you kill yourself or someone else by speeding trying to get there; that want do you, the other person, or your child any good. So to all the cops and speeders its not worth loseing a life over.
iam sorry for the lost of the two men, But one thing i can say at least the officer was doing his job ! i wish our officers would be Johnny on the spot like a few of the Brewton officers. there is one great officer that needs to bring his self back to fFlomaton he was the best! he was serious about his job and cared, good luck in Brewton R.C.
Coach Rotch would not want all of this on a page about him. Just remember people…God did this…if you need someone to blame!!! It was his time to go and yes it is horrible. Please don’t disgrace his page this way with the blame game. You will be very missed. My heart goes out to his family!!!
This is very sad what has happened in our community. I have lived in Brewton going on 5 years on Old Castleberry Road & where this accident happened is a bad location on a hill. I would like to thank our Police for taking control & trying to stop crime in our community. This could have happened in any town, unfortunately a Respectful innocent man’s life was taken as well as a father of a 2 yr old son. So regardless to what this man did to have the police chase him, he still has family members who will hurt just the same. My son is a TRM Football player & husband is employed with the Brewton City School System & we have high respect for Coach Rotch & our prayers go out to his Wife & family as well as the other family members of the other man involved. We also need to pray for the officer involved, he is taking it very hard & was following protocol.
N.H.F – LIKE WHERE WOULD OF THIS PERSON WENT THEY SHOULD OF PROTECTED THE OTHER PARTY LET HIM GO FOR THEN GET HIM LATER NO ONE DIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY ARE SOME COPS SO STUPID????????????????
HUH?????????
I’ve seen more than my share of these type accidents as I’m a EMT licensed in Alabama and Florida, their all tragic. As for the comments above most of them have merit in there points. My heart goes out to both families and to the officer some are placing the blame on for doing his job. I’m a little supprised that the suspect made it from Brewton PD to where the accident happened without crashing because of the congestion in the area. Everyone needs to step back and “think” for a moment, I’ve worked many head on crashes, one of the vehicles is always in the wrong lane, for whatever reason and there is rarely someone chasing them. Someone involved in this crash made a consious decision to cross that center line without regard for the outcome. You are in my prayers.
“You people on here that blame the cop are all retarded…next time u need help call a crackhead and see how far that gets u…you all like the cops when u need them…but when they are doing there jobs u hate on them…next time u see one thank him for what he does cause him and his family suffer so u can sleep at night….prayers go to the families involved and to the officer involved”
So when I needed them, and it took 30-45 minutes for them to show up, i should be happy about this? What ever. Brewton police are only worried about brewton police and there friends. Just ask Coaches family how they feel about police chasing a guy over a domestic dispute.
Move along citizen, nothing to see here..
You people on here that blame the cop are all retarded…next time u need help call a crackhead and see how far that gets u…you all like the cops when u need them…but when they are doing there jobs u hate on them…next time u see one thank him for what he does cause him and his family suffer so u can sleep at night….prayers go to the families involved and to the officer involved
domestic dispute…so what did he do to be chased through the middle of town fast enough to kill one person and himself. Sad, so sad….it was a dispute not violence. So he was saying unkind or demeaning words and that caused the BPD to run him down. I’m not running down the officers or BPD but you have to use your head for something besides a hat rack.
Welcome to Brewton! I have a feeling that most of you people are not from Brewton. SOME of the police around here need a bigger car to tote there ego and jackboots with them.
A badge does not give you power to make your own rules. I will withhold judgment on this until we find out what the Defendant did to incite the chase. Bad thing is, we will never get the whole truth. The whole “Blue Line” crap. Makes you wonder why all the tags of vehicles have the blue line on the front. Maybe to let all the other self important people know that they are one of them.
Not all police are like this. Some try very hard to ensure our safety. The problem is that the ones that are all high and mighty give the good cops bad names. The city needs to clean it out from the top down.
Police r not stupid… so for the ones that think that, they have no idea, until ur feet fill a policemans r womans shoes u have no room to talk. A police officers job is the backbone of any comuunity & just like any other job their doing their job, who do u call on first when u have a problem…the police whom else is gonna b there for u…the police so just cause u cant suck it up & b an adult concerning the situation dont ever assume anything until u have been there & done that!!!! Society today wants to point fingers at the good guys and not the bad guys…thats very poor judgement…my heart goes out to the Rotch family but know the facts before u assume anything. A police officer should be one of the most well respected individuals n this world today they risk their lives everyday to save someone elses, & the ones that want to bash ask ur self could u do it? & this was an accident there r somethings n life that noone has control over except for the good lord up above!!!!! BTW it wasnt the officer that hit the victim it was the offender so how is it the officers fault for doing his job?????
80 percent of the policeman in Brewton are kids that have no connections with the citizens of Brewton. A boy reacts but a man thinks abouit his actions. This situation would have never happen when you had native officer on the force like Lovelace, Broughton, Thomas, and Bird that was respected in the community.
Shame shame shame on those of you wanting to blame the Police Officers. They are trying to PROTECT you and I…..If they do not do their jobs to the best of their ability, then you would be harping on them about that. It a darned if you do and darned if you don’t situation with the folks on these boards. If you think you can do the job better, go put in an application. I bet you wouldnt last a week!
Sorry for the loss of this great leader to our children. I am sorry for the family members and the students who this will effect for some time. I am sorry for the officer having to go through the torment the public is putting on him, and I lift them all up in prayer. Please just try to overlook the hostility on the boards.
you people have no freakin idea what a domestic dispute leads 2. from what i understand the domestic dispute was happening while the car was traveling… the officer attempted to stop him and the guy ran.. hitting the other car head on.. i understand people are upset because a beloved member of our community was killed.. but you have no idea how the Officer is dealing with this..He/She is a person 2!!!!! stop freaking blaming the police. This is not the officers fault the guy should have stopped the car, regardless if his actions.. but no he didnt.. The officer involved in the incident is a damn good police officer and DOES not deserve the critism people are puttin on this page.. NEXT TIME YOU NEED HELP, CALL A CRACKHEAD!!!
Rest In Peace Coach Rotch.
all i can say is, Coach Rotch was a good principal and he will be missed by many. My condolences go out to the Rotch family.
If cops nowadays were like they used to be, I dont believe anyone would be pointing fingers at the chase. Most..Notice I say most, cops nowadays are fresh out of rookie school and have this mindset of the bad guy is not gonna out do them. Whether it be a chase that shouldnt have ever been continued, or slamming someones face in the asphalt that could have been handled a different way. Prayers go out for both families involved, and the officers who were involved.
Hey people. It’s not the fault of the policeman doing his job. Don’t try to shift blame here. When police officers stop pursuing criminals we may as well go on the honor system and “request” that criminals report to court or jail. How well do you think that would work and how “safe” would you be then? Everybody wants to be a public safety expert when something like this happens. I think those people trained and experienced in this kind of thing are better prepared to decide which is the better procedure. You cannot second guess a police officer’s actions. None of you can think that fast. It’s tragic, yes. But, leave it to the professionals to determine fault before you pass judgment.
Yes the police are trained in life saving skills. Not the police fault for trying to apprehend this guy. It is however the fault of the guy they were chasing. Domestic disputes are some of the more dangerous situations that police are faced with everyday. So this guy gets away goes home and beats or kills the person he is in a dispute with? Then what of the police . You would say they did not do enough. I pray for all the families involved and yes that counts the police officers too. They have to make split second decisions in the line of work that they do . Who are you going to call when you need help? Everyone needs to stop and let the police do the job they are hired to do. Please do as they ask, if you have nothing to hide , you have no reason to run.
Thanks for trying to protect the community Law Enforcement.
I am sorry for your loss – families of both victims.
My father is a police officer in Brewton. (Not the one on the chase). You do not know what these police officers go through to protect the citizens. It’s a thankless job with countless hours of stress for themselves and their families. It’s shameful that people will get on here and blame officers. If you think you could do the job better, I encourage you to do so.
Coach Rotch was my principal. He was a wonderful, kind, incredibly inspirational man. He took a personal interest in each and every one of his students. He was a remarkable leader at T.R. Miller High School and he will be sorely missed by every student he ever came into contact with. Prayers going out this morning to my hometown and Coach Rotch’s family.
Everyone wants to point fingers at the high speed chase, what about the person fleeing from the law?
i just knew that the police would be blamed in this. Shame on ya’ll. The criminal made his own choice to run&flee at a high speed. Even in the cops had not given chase he most likely would have been speeding away because he knew they were on scene. And the “chase” apparently didnt last too long at all. Blame the criminal; not those out their risking their lives and putting up with a ton of bullcrap for peanuts pay every single day.
Hind sight is a wonderful thing. I can not recall ever hearing an officer who was in a high speed chase that ended badly braging about hurting someone. Some may recall the chase and arrest of a man in Pensacola that thankfully happen—the mans name was Ted Bundy. The chases that end without an accident and the driver is arrested and found to be running from a robbery or murder or rape—the officer is held up as a hero. As I said–HIND SIGHT IS WONDERFUL.
LIKE WHERE WOULD OF THIS PERSON WENT THEY SHOULD OF PROTECTED THE OTHER PARTY LET HIM GO FOR THEN GET HIM LATER NO ONE DIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY ARE SOME COPS SO STUPID????????????????
RIP Coach Rotch!
This is so sad for the loss of two lifes. The police had to have known who the guy was or could have found out real easy from the person he was having trouble with at the police dept. Why did the police have to put all of us in danger chasing the guy? I’ve been saying for months some one was going to get killed, I see the police cars running at speeds around 60 mph or higher through the middle turning lanes, going to a car crash. Are the police even trained in life saving skills such as CPR or even have a medical bag? Come on guys stop putting all of our lifes in danger running to a car crash where you can’t even do nothing but wait on the medics with the fire dept and ambulance to get there.
No one except for those involved in the events leading up to the chase and the accident know the complete details. Therefore, you cannot automatically assume the risk outweighed the crime. If, and I say if because I was not there, a crime was committed then the officers were doing their job. And this definitely was not an accident. All the blame lies with the individual who made a conscious decision to get into a vehicle and drive so recklessly. However, debating whether or not the officers should have persued the suspect will not change the fact that this whole event is tragic. People need to learn to think about what outcomes their actions may have. This one bad decision caused so much grief for two families and an entire community. My thoughts and prayers go out to both families for their losses and also to Mr. Rotch’s T.R. Miller Tiger family. As an educator I know that this loss will deeply affect the students, faculty and staff.
It wasn’t a freak accident u moron! It was the outcome of just about every police chase! There are other ways to catch these people than a high speed chase! If it was ur dad, brother, principal, or loved on you wouldn’t be calling it a freak accident! If u think u would still feel the same than it should have been u or a member of ur family!
For a domestic dispute? The risk outweighed the crime. Pick the guy up when he calms down and there wouldn’t be heavy hearts tonight.
Why put people at risk in a chase? Sure, don’t chase the criminals, let em know they can do what they want and run without fear of being caught! This was a freak accident, that took the life of a fine innocent man! Nothing more.
Is there any other way for a high speed chase to end than with a crash? Either the subject fleeing crashes on his own or the subject takes out an innocent victim. Unless it’s a life or death matter, why put the people you are suppose to be protecting at risk? It makes no sense. We lost a good man tonight. There is no excuse. This was not an ‘accident’. An accident can’t be avoided. This could have been avoided.