PEA RIDGE, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) — Sunday marks one year since Pea Ridge Police Officer Kevin Apple died in the line of duty. The Pea Ridge Community is finding its balance of keeping his memory alive, while also healing and moving on.
“It’s just not something that happens in small town America, but it did happen here,” said Pea Ridge Mayor Jackie Crabtree.
“It’s been a rough year,” added Pea Ridge Police Chief Lynn Hahn.
Chief Hahn has spent the past 20 years in law enforcement.
“I’ve been through a lot of things, seen a lot of things, so have all of our officers,” he said. “But a year ago on June 26th, that was probably the toughest thing in my career I’ve ever gone through.”
On June 26th, 2021, Officer Kevin Apple responded to a vehicle pursuit that started in Rogers. It came to halt at the White Oak gas station on the corner of Highway 72 and Curtis Avenue in Pea Ridge.
According to court documents, the driver of the car hit and ran over Officer Apple, dragging him under the car for about 149 feet into the intersection of Townsend Way and Highway 72. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This is especially difficult for the Pea Ridge Police Department since the gas station where this all happened is just a few hundred feet away, right across the street from the department headquarters.
“We drive past it multiple times a day so every officer on duty drives past that spot. Some of them were there today that day it happened,” said Chief Hahn.
“It’s emotional for our officers every day when they go by that, and it’s emotional for our citizens,” said Mayor Crabtree.
He said other communities might tend to let an emotional situation like this fade into the past.
“That hasn’t happened here,” he said.”It is still as much, I think, on everybody’s mind today, as it was a year ago.”
Blue ribbons are still tied around signs in town. Hundreds of cars drive past the “Officer Kevin Apple Memorial Highway” sign along 72, which was officially dedicated by the state on December 12th, 2021, which is known as “Officer Kevin Apple Day” in Benton County to match his call sign of 1212.
The small memorial still stands outside the gas station with flowers, wreaths, signs and a blue 1212 cross. There is hardly a wall in the police department headquarters that doesn’t have some sort of plaque, honoring resolution, photos and art made by people in the community.
“We don’t want to continually do a lot of things to talk about it, but at the same time we don’t ever want to forget Kevin Apple,” said Chief Hahn. “So the small things around here remind me of those sacrifices he made, and encourages me to follow his lead and be a good officer.”
Chief Hahn said he’s been lucky in that they haven’t lost any full time officers as a result of this tragedy. Mayor Crabtree said they couldn’t have gotten through it without the support of the Fayetteville Police Department, which went through its own tragedy of losing an officer when Officer Stephen Carr died in the line of duty in 2019.
The department is hosting a memorial at noon on Sunday at the White Oak gas station. There will be a moment of silence at the time Officer Apple died.
Police arrested Shawna Cash and Elijah Andazola in connection to Officer Apple’s death. The Benton County Prosecutor said Cash was behind the wheel when she hit Officer Apple. She pleaded not guilty to capital murder last September.
The prosecutor said Andazola was in the passenger seat. He pleaded not guilty to accomplice to capital murder.