Bryan County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch: Monday, December 11, 2006
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: 125
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: December 10, 2006
Weapon Used: Automobile; Alcohol involved
Suspect Info: Charged with vehicular homicide
Sergeant Michael Larson was killed in an automobile crash caused by a drunk driver while responding to backup deputies shortly before midnight.
The drunk driver had lost control of his vehicle and crashed on Highway 280 near Highway 204. The driver then left the vehicle in the travel lane without lights on and did not report the incident.
Sergeant Larson encountered the vehicle as he responded to another incident. His patrol car sideswiped the vehicle in the lane and then struck several trees.
The drunk driver was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana, failure to maintain a lane and first-degree vehicular homicide. On November 4, 2008, he was convicted of vehicular homicide and sentenced to 10 years probation and 2.5 years in a probation detention center.
Sergeant Larson was a US Army veteran. He had served with the Bryan County Sheriff's Office for 7 years and had previously served with another agency for 3 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.