LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky State Police have confirmed that a Hodgenville Police Department officer died in a crash early Sunday morning after a police pursuit.
Police say Officer Mark Taulbee was involved in a pursuit and crashed near the 4600 block of Campbellsville Road in LaRue County at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
Taulbee was taken to the Hardin Memorial Hospital and later flown to University Hospital in Louisville, where he died at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday.
Hodgenville Police Chief, Steve Johnson, says, "I've sat here all morning thinking, is there anything different I could have done, or we could have done? From what I've seen everybody did everything right it was just out of our hands."
Police say Taulbee was pursuing a silver Nissan Altima when he lost control of his vehicle. It went airborne and he was ejected from the vehicle. Officials say Taulbee was wearing a seatbelt.
The suspect, 29-year-old Jason Avis, continued on, but later turned himself in at the LaRue County Jail.
Avis has been charged with wanton endangerment and fleeing and evading police. Officials say other charges are forthcoming.
Kentucky State Police are investigating the crash. They say Taulbee was wearing his seatbelt. Norman Chaffins, a KPS spokesperson, says, "We have to trek on we have to stay focused because we have an investigation to conduct and Officer Taulbee would obviously want us to continue on doing that."
Officer Taulbee had been with the Hodgenville Police Department for 13 months and leaves behind a wife and two children.
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Officer Mark Taulbee
