The same stretch of Montgomery County road where a Patton Village police officer died in 2016 will now be a memorial to his service and sacrifice.
Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle, along with sheriff’s office staff and Commissioner Matt Gray dedicated the ““Sergeant Stacey Baumgartner Memorial Highway” Wednesday on Texas 242. He was killed on Father’s Day 2016 in an auto crash.
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“On June 19, 2016, Sgt. Baumgartner was involved in a fatal crash at the intersection of FM 1485 and Texas 242 while in pursuit of a suspect,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. “During the incident, the suspect caused a collision between Baumgartner’s patrol car and a vehicle carrying members of the Hilario family. This section of Texas 242 is significant as it marks the location where Sgt. Baumgartner tragically lost his life in the line of duty.”
Additionally, 11-year-old, Adan Hilario Jr., a Splendora ISD student, also died in the crash.
In January 2018, Kingwood resident Garrett Nee, a driver in the pursuit, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of four felony charges. Two charges were for evading arrest/detention causing death, and the other two for evading arrest/detention causing serious bodily injury due to the injuries of two other Hilario family members.
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In August 2018, Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court approved a resolution and request to name the stretch of Texas 242 from US 59 to FM 1485 as “The Sergeant Stacey Baumgartner Memorial Highway.” The project became stalled through and was picked up by Gray when he was elected into office.
“This dedication is long overdue, and my office is proud to have partnered with TxDOT to see it through completion,” said Gray in a Facebook post.
Several officers from the Roman Forest Police Department were present for the dedication Wednesday.
“Thank you to Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court and the state for naming Texas 242 after Stacey. This case touched Roman Forest closely, Stacey had worked for RFPD in the past and continued to work closely with us while with PVPD,” a post on the Roman Forest Police Department read.
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