Kelly Foreman
A Richmond police officer was taken to University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington after his patrol vehicle was struck head-on about 9 p.m. Saturday.
RPD K-9 Officer Travis Bowles was headed toward town on Lexington Road when the driver of a black Pontiac Grand Prix ran the exit ramp stop sign at Interstate 75 exit 90A, crossed two lanes of traffic and a median, striking Bowles’ Chevy Tahoe, said RPD Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the department.
The front end of the Pontiac reportedly burst into flames, but the vehicle’s four occupants escaped the blaze. Three of the passengers in the Pontiac were taken to Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center with unknown injuries. Bowles was taken to UK, possibly with a leg injury.
Bowles’ police dog, Rexo, also was in the vehicle and was taken to a veterinarian for examination. The conditions of all those involved were unavailable at press time.
The driver of the Pontiac, whose name also was not available at press time, was arrested at the scene for having a suspended license, Reardon said. He did not know why the license was suspended.
The occupants of the Pontiac are from Clark County, and reportedly were going to prom at the Powell Building on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus, Reardon said. Bowles was responding to a non-emergency call at the time of the crash and was not running lights and sirens. Reardon said it was a normal dispatched call and Bowles was not in a rush to get to the complaint.
See this week’s Richmond Register for more details about the crash.
Kelly Foreman can be reached at kforeman@richmondregister.com or 624-6694.
