Douglas County Nebraska Deputy Killed in motorcyle accident

[Bearcat357]

DUI suspected as collision kills sheriff's deputy
BY ABE WINTER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Shad Nicks didn't have a chance Sunday night when an oncoming car entered his lane.
"There was no place for him to go," said Jim Maguire, a close friend of his. "There was no reaction time."

Nicks, 36, an off-duty Douglas County sheriff's deputy, was killed when his southbound motorcycle collided with a northbound car at 204th Street and Giles Road in Sarpy County. The crash occurred about 9:20 p.m. Sunday.

Nicks, who lived in Omaha, was flown by medical helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A fellow off-duty deputy, riding a motorcycle ahead of Nicks, saw the collision in his rear-view mirror.

"The motorcycle just exploded," said Maguire, who is president of the union that represents Douglas County sheriff's deputies.


The two motorcyclists were headed to see a friend, Maguire said.

Heather Lynn Henning, 27, of Papillion was driving the car, a 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora. She was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

Henning was arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle homicide, driving under the influence and driving left of center. She was being held at the Sarpy County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court today.

Henning has had four misdemeanor traffic convictions since 1998: two for speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, one for speeding 16-20 mph over the limit and one for following too closely.

Speed was not listed as a factor in the fatal collision, the Nebraska State Patrol said.

The crash occurred in a construction zone. At 204th and Giles, both lanes of 204th Street - also known as U.S. Highway 6/Nebraska Highway 31 - are diverted to the east for several car lengths. The lane shift allows for work on a large box culvert that is part of a road-widening project, said Tom Goodbarn, District 2 assistant construction supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Roads.

The speed limit at that point is 45 mph, down from 55 mph.

The lane shift, which Goodbarn called a "shoo-fly," is designed to accommodate traffic traveling 45 mph, he said. "If folks observe the speed limit, it's just not a problem."

The state is widening 204th Street from two to four lanes from Q Street south to Nebraska Highway 370.

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said Nicks bought the motorcycle - a 2000 Honda - on Thursday.

"He was a great deputy and a good family man," Dunning said. "He was a great friend to everybody here."

Nicks joined the Sheriff's Office in June 2000 after working for the Douglas County corrections department, Dunning said.

Maguire said Nicks "got into law enforcement for all the right reasons."

He "loved to help people," Maguire said, and was known for helping motorists change tires.

Nicks' wife, Becky, and three children - Brandon, Ryan and Allyson, who range in age from 18 days to 7 years - survive him.

"Everything he did was about his kids," Maguire said, adding that Nicks was overjoyed to "finally get his girl" less than three weeks ago.

"They lost a father," Maguire said, fighting back tears, "but they also gained 130 more," referring to Sheriff's Office personnel.

A fund to help the family has been established at the Omaha Police Federal Credit Union, 3003 S. 82nd Ave. A fundraiser, open to the public, will be held at 7 tonight at the Omaha Police Union Hall, 13445 Cryer Ave.

"He was a very close friend to a lot of us," Maguire said. "The community lost somebody who truly had the their best interests at heart."

Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Trinity Church, 15555 West Dodge Road.


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Rest in Peace My Friend..... :(

[equinox137]

It's a shame....either way.

[taz1802]

My thoughts and prayers are to the family and friends.

[Bearcat357]

I am truly at a loss of words.....

I got the call this afternoon from my parents.

Shad and I grew up together in a small rural NW MO town......played baseball together during the summers, football during the fall, and did wrestling during winter......

We both went our separate ways but both went into LE....and talked about it when ever we would meet up back home during the holidays.....

He was apparently home last week....showing off his new daughter to his parents......as one my buddies stopped and talked to him.....and got to see how proud he was of his newest member of his family....

RIP my friend..... :(

[irishdep]

My condolences to the family, friends and co workers. RIP BROTHER!

[Bearcat357]

Officers, citizens turn out for deputy's funeral
BY LYNN SAFRANEK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The images of Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Shad Nicks that were projected onto the church walls Thursday showed scenes of a full life
Nicks kneeling in a football team photo as a young man in jersey number 52.

Smiling in his tux as he lifts his new wife, Becky, in her long-sleeved wedding dress.

Cradling each of his three children as newborn babies, with daughter Allyson born just three weeks ago.

Omaha area residents gathered at the funeral service and along the route to the cemetery to honor Nicks - for the man he was and the justice he stood for.

At Nicks' service were judges and prosecutors who crossed Nicks' path when he guarded the county courthouse. Citizens who didn't know the deputy but felt compelled to honor him. Family and friends who watched Nicks grow up in Maryville, Mo., develop a deep love for his wife, Becky, and begin a life of raising the three children.

Joining them were law enforcement officers from about two dozen area agencies who paid their respects to a man who chose a career path that united them.

Of approximately 400 people in attendance at Nicks' funeral service, nearly half were law enforcement officers from such jurisdictions as Omaha, Valley, Blair, La Vista, Council Bluffs, Seward and Douglas, Pottawattamie, Sarpy, Seward, Dodge, and Washington Counties. The brown, navy and black uniforms mixed with the plainclothes of the citizens they protect.

Nicks, 36, was killed Sunday while driving a motorcycle on 204th Street in Sarpy County with a fellow deputy. Both were off-duty and headed to visit a friend.

A suspected drunken driver hit Nicks head-on at Giles Road after entering an oncoming lane at a temporary bend in the road. Nicks, who was wearing a helmet, was driving a motorcycle he had purchased only a few days earlier.

At 9:23 a.m. Thursday, Douglas County deputies filed into Trinity Interdenominational Church, taking off their hats as they entered. They walked past Nicks' body in a cream-colored casket, adorned with roses and bright flowers.

Across from Nicks' casket was a poster and large photo of him. The poster was filled with signatures - many with badge numbers attached to names.

"Keep watch over us down here. We'll miss you," one officer wrote.

Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Rob Jones said Nicks struck a healthy balance between work and family life. Nicks had worked as a deputy since 2000.

"Know, too, Becky, as a member of this family, this law enforcement family, that we are with you during this difficult time," Jones said to Nicks' wife.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., the procession left the church, near 156th Street and West Dodge Road, and headed to Evergreen Cemetery, near 78th Street and Mercy Road.

People stood outside Big Fred's Pizza at 119th and Pacific Streets, waiting for the procession to go by. Others waited elsewhere along the route and outside the cemetery, emerging from their cars when the procession neared.

Dee Ann Meyer, who said Nicks was a great friend of her son's, stood along 78th Street near the cemetery entrance. She said she wanted to come out to support law enforcement officers, who protect the public. Deseret Lazarte and four of her children also stood along 78th Street near the cemetery entrance.

Onlookers waved as the procession passed.

The hearse carrying Nicks' body passed below a large American flag hanging from the extended ladders of two fire department ladder trucks, one from Irvington, one from Omaha.


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