Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch: Thursday, January 25, 1990
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: 808
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: January 25, 1990
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Cone was killed when his patrol car was hit head-on by a drunk driver on Highway 64 Alternate, one mile west of Tarboro.
Another officer ahead of him and a nurse behind him was also struck by the drunk driver. The other deputy was not injured. The nurse suffered severe facial cuts from a wheel on the truck that went through her windshield.
The 46-year-old man was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison on August 15th, 1990. He died in prison on July 26th, 1996.
Deputy Cone was survived by his wife and two sons.