DEC 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY PUNTA

AROUND THE COUNTRY PUNTA GORDA, FL. Charlotte County Deputy Christopher Taylor, was fatally struck by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop. PUNTA GORDA, FL. - Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell has identified the deputy who was fatally struck by a motorist while conducting a traffic stop on I-75 near mile marker 163 in Punta Gorda. Deputy Christopher Taylor was struck and killed in Punta Gorda. Life-saving measures were given on the scene by good Samaritans and later by other deputies. Taylor was transported to Punta Gorda ShorePoint Health and regrettably succumbed to his injuries. The driver, identified Cassandra Smith, 30, called 911 after losing control of her Jeep and veering across three lanes onto the shoulder striking the deputy’s patrol vehicle which in turn hit the deputy. Smith was taken into custody by Florida Highway Patrol and transported to the Charlotte County Jail on charges of DUI Manslaughter. Smith is from Massachusetts. Bill Prummell said this is Smith’s second DUI charge and that she had just gotten off probation for the first. Deputy Taylor joined the agency in August of 2021 and was officially sworn in on February 14, 2021. He is survived by his parents and fiancé. “In his little less than a year of service to Charlotte County, Chris exemplified the core values of the CCSO; Integrity, Professionalism, and Trust. Chris just celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday. Losing a deputy is unspeakably difficult for the agency, but the passing of such a promising and kind young man is a tremendous loss for the world,” shared Sheriff Bill Prummell. Friends say Christopher Taylor worked hard to become a Charlotte County Deputy. “They say only the good die young, and this is the epitome of this because he is a wonderful, wonderful soul,” Shelly Walton said Christopher Taylor, or Chris as they knew him, worked for Shelly Walton at Backstreets Sports Bar in Cape Coral. “He didn’t have the easiest life growing up and he was great in school,” Walton said. “He tried very hard to get onto the force. That was his goal; that’s what he wanted to do.” Right after he graduated from North Fort Myers High School, he DEPUTY CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR waited on customers, but Shelly knew it was not his end goal. “The kid worked full-time for me for three years,” Walton said. “And when he was going through the academy, he was still working for me.” Taylor had dreams of working in law enforcement, something Walton said he often mentioned. “When he was getting hired I thought he was going to work at the jail, so I was a little worried, then after that he told me he was going on the road so I was doubly worried,” Walton said. Walton saw Taylor with a big smile at his swearing-in ceremony just a few months ago. 20 The BLUES The BLUES 21