Senior Trooper Richard Dale Cottle
Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol
Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, May 9, 2001

Biographical Info
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 30 years
Badge Number: 3087

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Senior Trooper Richard Cottle was killed in an automobile accident when his cruiser slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer on I-35 just north of Waco during morning fog.

The semi had just been involved in an accident with another tractor trailer and was blocking a travel lane when the accident occurred. Trooper Cottle, who was assigned to the Motor-vehicle Inspection Section, was on his way to testify in a court case when the accident occurred.

Trooper Cottle had been employed with the Texas Department of Public Safety for almost 30 years.