Jasper police chief killed in crash

JASPER — Jasper’s police chief was killed in a fiery crash Sunday night.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol release, a Jasper Police Department vehicle hit a deer on County Road 143 near SW 28th Lane just south of State Road 6 in western Hamilton County around 10:25 p.m. Sunday.

After hitting the deer, the Jasper PD pickup struck a tree on the west side of the road and caught fire.

The lone occupant of the vehicle — 43-year-old Tony Rickerson, the Jasper police chief — died in the crash.

Rickerson was named the city’s permanent chief last September after previously serving as interim chief.