JEMISON, Ala. – Authorities say a Jemison police officer was killed when his cruiser hydroplaned on a rain-soaked highway and crashed into a power pole.
Chilton County Coroner Randy Yeargan says 30-year-old Donald Joshua Newman crashed shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday on U.S. 31 North in Thorsby.
Police Chief Shane Fulmer says Newman had been responding to help with a wreck north of the city. He says the area about 40 miles south of Birmingham was getting torrential rains.
Fulmer described Newman as a superstar on the force. Newman was married and had a 4-year-old son.
Newman joined the department in December 2008 as a reserve officer. He came on full time in April 2010 after graduating from a police academy.
___
Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews