Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 30 years
Badge Number: 3087
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: May 9, 2001
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Senior Trooper Richard Cottle was killed in an automobile collision 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 a crash with another tractor-trailer and was blocking a travel lane when the collision occurred. Trooper Cottle, who was assigned to the Motor-vehicle Inspection Section, was on his way to Dallas to testify in a court case.
Trooper Cottle had served with the Texas Department of Public Safety for almost 30 years. He is survived by his wife and four children. One of his sons also served with the Texas Department of Public Safety.