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BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) — The native bike group is feeling the lack of Benton County Sheriff’s Detective Paul Newell.
“I used to be in shock,” mentioned Paul Kuehn, a pal of Det. Newell’s.
“It’s affected the entire biker group,” mentioned Todd Atkins, Founding father of Border Riders, which is an area bike driving group.
Kuehn mentioned Det. Newell touched quite a lot of lives by his love of bike driving.
“He was a motor officer coach for Benton County, so while you take a look at the variety of officers that they’ve which are licensed to trip, from Siloam Springs to Bella Vista, Paul had a hand in bringing on quite a lot of these officers to be licensed to trip bikes,” he mentioned.
Det. Newell died in a bike crash Saturday morning. He was serving to escort a truck with wreaths to the Fayetteville Nationwide Cemetery for the Wreaths Throughout America occasion.
Atkins mentioned he was volunteering on the cemetery for that occasion. He remembers the confusion as they waited for the third truck stuffed with wreaths to reach.
“We have been shuttling individuals backwards and forwards and I received a name and I used to be notified concerning the accident,” he mentioned. “It was surprising to say the least.”
KNWA/FOX24 interviewed Atkins and Kuehn on the Benton County Sheriff’s Workplace, the place a memorial is positioned in honor of Det. Newell. It features a bike lined in flowers and topped with Newell’s helmet.
“As I sit right here and I take a look at the bike and I take a look at the whole lot, it actually hasn’t set in but,” mentioned Kuehn.
It hasn’t set in for him that his pal died doing one thing he beloved: driving his bike whereas serving his group.
His dying brings up the query of bike security and the protection of police escorts.
“Motor officers make up the highest 2% of riders on the planet,” mentioned Kuehn.
Kuehn is a bike security teacher and runs Journey Like a Professional Arkansas. He mentioned motor law enforcement officials need to undergo two full weeks of coaching to get that title.
He mentioned Newell’s dying is a tragic accident that doesn’t occur typically within the regulation enforcement world.
“This 12 months alone, there’s been 219 line of obligation deaths of officers of that 219, solely three of these have been bike crashes,” he mentioned.
He additionally mentioned police escorts are an necessary a part of the job. They convey a way of pageantry and significance to their escorts, however in addition they create connection.
“The police bike attracts people in to have a dialog,” he mentioned. “Whether or not its somebody who rides and is eager about what the police bikes are all about and even youngsters who’ve desires of being a motor officer someday. It’s a very efficient means to bridge the connection to the group.:
Atkins and Kuehn say the bike group is sort of a household and they’re grieving the lack of their brother.
“He was an avid rider and he did a lot for our group,” mentioned Atkins.
“He’ll desperately be missed on this group and on this division,” mentioned Kuehn.
Atkins mentioned the Border Riders plan on taking part in Det. Newell’s funeral procession.
That service is going on on Wednesday, December twenty eighth at 10:30 a.m. at Cross Church in Rogers.
The general public is invited to attend. The Benton County Sheriff’s Workplace is asking that as an alternative of flowers, individuals put their cash in direction of three native non income in honor of Det. Newell: the Maysville 4-H Membership, the NWA Youngsters’s Shelter, and the Benton County Youngsters’s Advocacy Middle.
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