A Liberty County sheriff’s deputy was airlifted to a Houston-area trauma center Wednesday afternoon, April 13, after he was seriously injured while pursuing a suspect.
According to Capt. Ken DeFoor, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Deputy Slaughter was chasing a guy through the woods north of Cleveland off of US 59.
“They were in the woods looking for the suspect. Deputy Slaughter was on horseback when he was thrown off and injured. He was looking for a suspect who had jumped out of a car and fled in the woods,” DeFoor said.
The fall caused extensive but non-life threatening damage to Slaughter’s shoulder, and he was taken for medical treatment by an air ambulance.
The incident shut down traffic briefly along US 59 to create a landing zone for the helicopter. Slaughter was rescued from the woods by first responders using an all-terrain vehicle.
DeFoor could not say whether or not the suspect was ever located.