FULTON, Miss. -- An officer with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks was killed in the line of duty Friday night.
Master Sgt. John Collum, 56, of Fulton, was investigating a prowler on John Rankin Highway around 10 p.m. when he was struck by a 2002 Nisan Sentry.
Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson said the 19-year-old driver of the car remained at the scene and has been taken into custody where he is awaiting charges.
The car is suspected to have been traveling at a high rate of speed, because the skid marks in the road are 300 feet long, from the point of impact to the location where the vehicle finally came to a stop.
Dickinson said officers are sorting through evidence to see if there are any other factors that would lead to any additional charges but expect to charge the young man within the next few days.
Collum was a 15-year veteran of the MDWFP and was named the 2012 Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Officer of the Year, placing him at the top of a 17-state area.
Copyright 2014 - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
