A veteran Nebraska police officer was killed in a crash when he rear-ended his cruiser

CERESCO, Neb. (AP) – A veteran police officer was killed when his cruiser was struck by another vehicle after a traffic stop in eastern Nebraska, authorities said Saturday.

The Nebraska State Patrol said in a news release that Ceresco Police Officer Ross Bartlett, 54, conducted a traffic stop on Highway 77 about a mile south of Ceresco on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. Both vehicles were on the shoulder, and the driver and officer were both seated in their vehicles when the pickup rear-ended the police cruiser, pushing it into the stopped vehicle, the State Patrol said in a statement.

First responders arrived minutes later and found people trying to help Bartlett and others involved in the crash. He was flown to a hospital in Lincoln, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old Lincoln man, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. The pickup driver, a 49-year-old man from Crete, was not seriously injured.

Bartlett has served as an officer with the Ceresco Police Department and an investigator with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services since 2017, the State Patrol said. He also served on the Ceresco Volunteer Fire Department. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

“He really brought a lot to our department,” Seresco Police Chief Tony Hernandez said at a press conference. “He wrote many of our grants. … He was a really, really professional officer. And his personality was unique. I will miss him dearly and I'm glad our paths crossed.”

Funeral services were pending. Gov. Jim Pillen ordered flags to fly at half-staff until 5 p.m. on the day of the officer's burial.

“This is a terrible loss for those who worked with Officer Bartlett through NDCS and the communities that knew him through law enforcement,” Pillen said in a statement. “He was a dedicated public servant who responded to the noble calling of serving various communities throughout his 30-year career.”

The governor's office said Bartlett started as an officer with the Valentine Police Department and has served with the Boone County Sheriff's Department, the Madison Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff's Department and the Newman Grove Police Department.

The State Patrol said it will present the results of the crash investigation to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office for a decision on whether to file charges.

Ceresco is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Lincoln.

Associated Press