By Mary Carole McCauley
Baltimore Sun
DENTON, Md. — Denton’s Police chief was killed Friday morning and a second man was injured in a three-car pileup after police said a delivery truck crossed the center line in Talbot County.
George William Bacorn Jr., 62, who had served as Denton police chief for 36 years, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to a Maryland State Police Department news release. The truck driver, Antonio Jaquan Handy, 31, of Salisbury, was transported to a local trauma center with unspecified injuries by the police department’s aviation command unit.
Gov. Wes Moore ordered the state flag to be flown at half-staff to honor Bacorn, who also was acting president this year of the Maryland Municipal League Chiefs and Sheriffs Association.
“He embodied the meaning of serving others and dedicated his life to keeping communities safe for everyone,” Moore wrote on a social media post, adding that “Maryland is a better place because of his courage and public service.”
The Denton Police Department posted a picture of an officer’s shined badge online Friday, with a black bar crossing the middle, saying that it announced his death “with profound sadness” and asked the public to respect the family’s privacy.
The accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. near Maryland Route 331 and Dover Neck Road, the release said.
Bacorn was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe east on 331 just behind another car, a Chevrolet Silverado heading in the same direction.
Handy’s Ford Transit delivery truck was driving west on 331, when it crossed the center line for an unknown reason, the news release said, striking first the Silverado on the side mirror, and continuing head-on into Bacorn’s car.
The driver of the Silverado was not injured and was not identified in the news release.
The police department’s crash team is investigating the collision and will present its findings to determine whether charges will be filed, the release said.
Local roads were closed for more than three hours Friday around the scene of the crash.
President of the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association and Worcester Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said in a social media post that Bacorn dedicated his life to keeping other people safe.
“I know firsthand the bond that exists throughout Maryland’s law enforcement family. When we lose one of our own, that loss is felt far beyond the walls of a single agency or the boundaries of a single community,” Crisafulli said. “His sudden and tragic passing in a motor vehicle crash is a tremendous loss to his family, his department, the Town of Denton , and our law enforcement throughout our state.”
In Caroline County, the local Republican Party posted a tribute to Bacorn.
“We are sending many prayers for comfort, especially for his family and his wife Charmaine, his good friends and his fellow officers on this tragic and heartbreaking loss of the life of such a good good man,” the party wrote.
Have a news tip? Contact Mary Carole McCauley at mmccauley@baltsun.com or 410-332-6704.
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