Ark. Police Detective Dies from Injuries Suffered in On-Duty Crash
An Arkansas police officer died earlier this month from injuries he suffered in an on-duty crash in late October.
Benton Police Det. James "Mike" Lett died in a Little Rock hospital at about 1:30 p.m. Nov. 7, according to a social media post by the department. He had been in the hospital after he was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash Oct. 28.
According to police, Lett was on his way to help with a department drug take back event when his cruiser hydroplaned and struck a bridge guardrail in Little Rock. He had been sedated following the incident, and his condition was improving when he suffered several strokes.
Lett died surrounded by family, friends and colleagues, police said. Officers escorted his body from the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to a Benton funeral home.
Lett had been a Benton police detective since 2019, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports. He also served with the Maumelle Police Department, as wll as the Pulaski County and Saline County sheriff’s offices.
