A Louisville police officer has been killed after a semi-truck driver crashed into the back of her parked cruiser on I-64.
Monday afternoon at approximately 2:00, 32-year-old Detective Deidre Mengedoht was killed when a Metropolitan Sewer District truck, being driven by 60-year-old Roger Burdette, struck the back of Mengedoht’s cruiser. The officer was in the vehicle, which had its emergency lights on, as she conducted a traffic stop on an eastbound pickup truck under the Belvedere, according to media reports.
The impact propelled the cruiser into the rear of the pickup truck and burst into flames. Four passengers in the pickup were not injured.
Burdette, who was also not injured, was charged with DUI and murder. He admitted to police that he took multiple prescription drugs prior to the wreck and was unsteady on his feet during a field sobriety test.
Mengedoht had been with Louisville Metro Police for over seven years.
Burdette is being held in Louisville Metro Corrections on a $200,000 bond and pled not guilty to the charges Wednesday.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 260-259-6000
