Rising Sun, Ind., Police Chief David Hewitt died Wednesday morning following a single vehicle accident. Hewitt is the area's sixth officer to die in recent months.
The Switzerland County Sheriff's Department says slick roads may be to blame. "The accident remains under investigation but icy road conditions are believed to have been a factor," the department says in a statement.
The 49-year-old from Florence, Ind., was taken by helicopter to Carroll Co. Memorial Hospital in Carrollton, Ky., where he died as a result of his injuries.
The sheriff's office says the accident was reported around 7:20 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Mayor Brent Bascom is ordering flags in Rising Sun to half-staff for 27 days, "one day for each year of service Chief Hewitt gave to the citizens of our area."
Hewitt joined the department in 1998 and was named chief in 2004. Before that he served with the Switzerland County and Dearborn County sheriff's departments and the Lawrenceburg Police Department.
"On behalf of the City of Rising Sun, I extend our sincere condolences to Chief Hewitt’s family," Bascom writes in a statement. "I ask everyone please respect their privacy and keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this tragic loss."
