A DeSoto Parish sheriff's deputy has lost her life in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning.
Sheriff Jayson Richardson said Deputy Donna Richardson-Below, 43, was involved in an on-duty crash on U.S. Highway 84 east of Mansfield. She died at the scene.
The crash happened just before 8 a.m. west of state Highway 3248 as a 2008 Jeep Cherokee driven by 33-year-old Richard Wimer of Stonewall entered a curve, crossed the center line and hit Below's patrol unit, a Ford Crown Victoria. It's unknown what caused Wimer to lose control, Troop G spokesman Trooper Brent Hardy said in a news release.
Below was properly restrained. Wimer, who was unrestrained, received moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
Toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
Below had worked with DPSO since January 2019. Prior to that she was a Louisiana Probation and Parole agent.
Richardson described Below as a "beacon of light" who impacted all who knew her.
On Dec. 31, Below shared on her Facebook page what she called her testimony for 2019. She recalled how she tried for three months in late 2018 to pass a test for employment with the sheriff’s office.
The encouraging words of a friend and her faith in God kept her spirits up and she did not give up. She said she made the “bold” decision to assure the sheriff she wasn’t dumb. He agreed and volunteered to buy her a study guide, she wrote.
But that’s when she said God -- and unknown to her at the time -- a kind word from a judge intervened and when she went to the sheriff’s office in December 2018 to inquire about the study guide she learned she didn’t need it; she was being hired the next month as the misdemeanor probation officer and bailiff.
Below wrote:
"I Know it Was Nobody But God that Moved through The Hearts of Sheriff Jayson Richardson, Judge Amy McCartney & Judge Adams...I am Forever Grateful for These Individuals❤️❤️ They Believed in Me and Gave The Best Opportunity I Could Ever Imagine... I Promise Not to Let Them Down.... Many say “I’m to Godly” but I say in Order to Get What God has for Me I have to Be Godly... 2019 has Truly been a Blessing to Me... I will continue to Plant a Seed of Righteous so that I will Reap My Harvest... My Response is “Hallelujah!”