Chief of Police Dion Rastus Nelson, Sr.

Dion Rastus Nelson, Sr.

Chief of Police Dion Nelson was killed in an automobile crash on Highway 17 while responding to another accident call in a period of heavy rain during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.

During the response, his vehicle hydroplaned and struck the rails of a bridge. He was transported to a hospital in Meridian, Mississippi, where he succumbed to injuries.

Chief Nelson was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and had served in law enforcement for seven years. He was survived by his fiancee, two sons, two daughters, and mother.