Investigations

Drunk Driver 3 Times over Limit in Crash that Killed Ky. Police Officer

Nov. 1, 2022

A Tennessee man is charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond after he allegedly T-boned the cruiser of London Police Officer Logan Medlock.

By Taylor Six

Source Lexington Herald-Leader

The police cruiser of London, KY, Police Officer Logan Medlock, 26, who was killed Sunday in a fatal crash, is draped in black cloth, ribbon, and covered with flowers outside of the department.

A Tennessee man charged with murder after a crash that killed a London police officer had a blood alcohol concentration that was more than three times the legal limit at the time of the deadly collision, according to court records.

Casey Byrd, 36, of Oneida, Tenn., appeared in Laurel County District Court for the first time Monday to be arraigned on charges of murder and operating a motor vehicle under the influence. He had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf.

RELATED: Ky. Police Officer Killed by Accused Drunk Driver

He appeared over virtual video conferencing before Judge W.L. “Skip” Hammon Jr. who kept his bond at $1 million as it was previously set. Hammon also appointed a public defender to Byrd and set Byrd’s preliminary hearing for Nov. 8 at 11 a.m.

Byrd is alleged to have crashed into a marked London police cruiser driven by officer Logan Medlock, 26, of Keavy. Medlock died as a result of the crash, police said.

In a press conference Sunday, Kentucky State Police public information officer Scottie Pennington said the fatal crash happened around 12:49 a.m. in London when a Dodge pickup “T-boned” the police officer’s Dodge Challenger. He stated the pickup was traveling northbound on KY-229 and Medlock was traveling southbound.

The force of the impact knocked both vehicles into the A.R. Dyche Cemetery, damaging several headstones, according to police. Medlock suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, and was pronounced dead on scene by the Laurel County Coroner’s Office. Byrd sustained no injuries and was booked into the Laurel County Detention Center on Sunday.

According to Byrd’s arrest citation, he was leaving a watch party for the football game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers, which he attended at a friend’s house. He was on his way home when the crash happened. His blood alcohol content was marked three times over the legal limit at 0.294, according to court documents.

Byrd claimed to be a federal officer, and said that he should have just stayed at his friend’s house, according to an arrest citation. According to Emery Nelson, public affairs officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Byrd is a senior officer specialist at the United States Penitentiary McCreary.

Staff writer Bill Estep contributed to this story.

______

Visit kentucky.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.