Shooting incident leaves township without local police protection
REDSTONE TWP. – A shooting incident in Brownsville last week has left Redstone Township without local police protection. Redstone Capt. Dennis Field was one of the officers who provided assistance to Brownsville Officer Autumn Fike when a suspect in a traffic stop fled, leading her on a chase that ended in the village of Century in Brownsville Township. Field and Fike both discharged their weapons when the driver of the fleeing truck, Kermith Roy Sonnier, Jr., 37 of Denbo Heights, allegedly charged them with his truck.
Sonnier was struck once in the chest by a bullet. According to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office, Sonnier bled to death from the wound. Deputy Coroner Elsie Dvorchak said toxicology reports on Sonnier most likely will not be available until later this week and it could be next month before ballistics tests are back from the State Police Crime Lab to determine who fired the fatal shot.
According to Redstone Township Supervisor Raymond Paris, Field is the township’s only full-time officer.
“He’s on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. That’s just procedure,” Paris said. “The state police are conducting the investigation.”
In addition to being without a full-time officer, the Redstone police department is also without a vehicle.
“Right now we don’t have any service because our police car is out of commission. The lights don’t work and there might be some frame damage,” Paris said.
State police are providing patrols for Redstone Township until the situation is resolved. Paris said that the township has been asked by the state police investigators to not have the car repaired until the investigation is completed. Paris said it is still unclear whether damage to the vehicle was caused by it being struck by Sonnier’s truck or if the vehicle was damaged in the course of the pursuit through a wooded area.
Brownsville’s police car was also damaged in the incident, but with the application of duct tape to hold the headlight in focus, it is still in use. The department, however, is down to one full-time police officer, Acting Chief Stanley Jablonsky, and several part-time officers. Chief Gerald Elliott was injured on the job several weeks ago and is still on medical leave.
Jablonsky said Fike will be off duty until she is physically and mentally ready to return to work.
“We do have a firearms policy, but there’s no portion of the policy that deals with if there is a shooting that the officer be off for a period of time or on desk duty or anything like that,” Jablonsky said.
It was initially reported that Sonnier’s truck struck Fike, breaking her leg, but it has since been clarified that a log or branch was apparently kicked up by Sonnier’s truck, striking Fike and causing a deep bone bruise on her leg, Jablonsky said. It is unclear how long Fike will be off duty.