GoFundMe campaign seeks help for injured law enforcement officer - Kingsport Times News

SURGOINSVILLE — Just in time for Christmas giving, a GoFundMe page is seeking donations for a local law enforcement officer facing tough financial times because of an on-the-job injury.

The campaign launched on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday evening it had $3,160 from 39 donors toward a goal of $5,000.

He is looking at four to six months out of work with very limited pay after being injured while responding to a Nov. 11 domestic violence call in Hawkins County.

Full-time Hawkins County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Walker, also a school resource officer at Surgoinsville Middle and Elementary schools and a part-time Surgoinsville police officer, suffered a broken leg and torn ligaments in and around his knee.

Walker was responding under mutual aid as a part-time police officer, which Surgoinsville Police Chief James Hammonds said means that Walker is receiving a Tennessee-mandated minimum payment for the short term because his part-time pay over the past six months would have resulted in an amount less than the minimum.

“Nobody ever thought of getting injured on the secondary job,” Walker said of injuries to his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, better known as the ACL and MCL. Hammonds said, “We back the county up like the county backs us up.”

OFFICER HESITANT TO SEEK HELP

Walker, 50, said he’s uncomfortable in a way with the help.

“I didn’t feel worthy of the help of people I helped, people I worked with,” Walker said Wednesday of donations from county and city residents, as well as students, former students and their parents. “I really just don’t feel worthy of getting help.”

However, Hammonds said the initial goal was set at $5,000 to make sure the Walker family, in which the deputy’s wife works, could make the mortgage and basic living expenses. Most of the short-term pay from the part-time job goes to keeping medical insurance paid through the county, Hammonds said.

“We’re hoping for at at least reaching $5,000 by Christmas,” Hammonds said. He said Walker pays for a short-term disability insurance but that it wouldn’t pay because Walker got workers compensation for his medical expenses from the injuries.

Hammonds said that Walker’s injuries were by far the most serious of any part-time city employee in the known history of the town. “We’ve had injuries before but none anything to this extent,” Hammonds said.

WALKER’S POSITIVE PROGNOSIS

Walker said he and his doctors are hopeful he will return 100% ready to go back to work in law enforcement. He also recently became a grandfather for the first time. He and his wife have two children, a daughter at Volunteer High School and a son in the Army.

Dobyns-Bennett High School graduate and educator Angelia Hensley, a Robinson Middle School teacher who formerly taught at Surgoinsville Middle, organized the fundraiser on behalf of Walker, who attended Robinson and graduated from Dobyns-Bennett.

“It really damaged his knee terribly,” Hensley said Wednesday afternoon. “Because he is an SRO, the people want to help him, the community wants to help him.”

“He’s a hard worker,” Hammonds said of Walker. “I’m thankful she (Hensley) decided to do that (GoFundMe).”

Hensley, who lives in Surgoinsville, got to know Walker as an SRO and continued to see him as an officer after she took a new job in Kingsport. “I still live in Surgoinsville,” she said. “When Jeff Walker goes on patrol, I see him faithfully patrolling my neighborhood.”

Hammonds said he hopes for the speedy return of Walker but that four other part-time officers are helping fill in during Walker’s absence. “I’m the only full-time officer. We have five part-time officers,” Hammonds said.

GOFUNDME WORDS

Hensley recounted the incident as follows on GoFundMe:

“On November 11, 2021, Officer Jeff Walker backed up a Hawkins County deputy on a welfare check from a possible domestic violence injury. Upon arrival at the scene, the alleged assailant took off on foot, and Officer Walker gave foot pursuit. After a short foot pursuit, Officer Walker and the Hawkins County Deputy caught and apprehended the subject. During the apprehension, Officer Walker broke his leg and tore ligaments in his knee. Officer Walker will be having reconstructive surgery to his knee and will undergo intense therapy over the next 4-6 months.

“Officer Walker is only receiving a reduced amount of his part-time wages. He is not getting any pay or compensation from his primary full-time job with the Sheriff’s Office. We are asking for help to assist Officer Walker financially until he can get back to work in the community as a full time officer. He has served the citizens of Hawkins County as a full-time deputy for 6 1/2 years and a part-time officer for the City of Surgoinsville for 3 years.

“Furthermore, he has been the School Resource Officer for Surgoinsville Middle School and Surgoinsville Elementary School for 5 years. Please give to someone who has always been willing to serve his community selflessly and has protected our children and citizens faithfully. Back the blue.”

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source: https://www.timesnews.net/news/crime/gofundme-campaign-seeks-help-for-injured-law-enforcement-officer/article_7701ff7c-6369-11ec-82fb-ff36526cbaa6.html

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