Off-duty Jasper police officer is dead following auto accident

An off-duty Jasper Police officer had died following a single vehicle accident that occurred on Friday afternoon. Emergency crews were dispatched to the crash on Farm to Market 252, about 4 miles south of Jasper, shortly after 1:00. Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Shana Clark has identified the driver as 44-year-old Chris Sherer, of Jasper. Sergeant Clark said Sherer was driving a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck southbound when, for an unknown reason, "the driver traveled across the northbound lane and into the west ditch, where it sideswiped a tree and struck another tree one head-on, causing the Ram to overturn." Sherer was rushed from the scene to Jasper Memorial Hospital by Allegiance EMS, where he underwent treatment before being pronounced dead shortly after 4:00 pm. What caused the crash is unknown. However, officers at the scene said there was no evidence of any brake marks on the highway or shoulder, leading them to believe that Sherer might have suffered from a medical condition. However, that has not been confirmed. Sherer, who served as a School Resource Office was assigned to the Jasper Independent School District.