Ceresco, Nebraska, Police Officer Ross Bartlett was killed Friday night when his vehicle was hit during a traffic stop.Nebraska State Patrol
A Ceresco, Nebraska, Police officer was killed Friday night when his patrol vehicle was struck by another vehicle during a traffic stop.
Officer Ross Bartlett’s vehicle was stopped and performing a traffic stop involving a Nissan sedan around 7:37 p.m. when a Ford pickup truck hit the rear of his patrol unit pushing it into the sedan.
Responding agencies began arriving within four minutes and found bystanders assisting Officer Bartlett and the others involved in the crash, the Nebraska State Patrol reported in a press release.
Officer Bartlett, 54, was life-flighted to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the sedan, Ke’vion Hill, 27, of Lincoln, suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to the hospital. The driver of the Ford, Tony Pierce, 49, of Crete, was not seriously injured.
The Nebraska State Patrol in conducting a full crash reconstruction investigation. Once complete, the findings will be presented to the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office.
Officer Bartlett served with Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and Ceresco PD since 2017. He also served as a volunteer firefighter for Ceresco. Prior to those assignments, he served with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Police Department, and Newman Grove Police Department. Funeral services are pending.
