LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The mother of a fallen Kentucky State Police Trooper is sending out a message of thanks.
The Kentucky State Police Foundation is raffling off a used 1990s truck that was restored by a trooper who was killed in the line of duty. Joseph Cameron Ponder spent countless hours on his truck during his brief visits home from the U.S. Navy.
Joseph Cameron Ponder
After Ponder served in the U.S. Navy and trained with the Navy Seals, the Rineyville native graduated from the Kentucky State Police Academy in January 2015. The 1990 Chevrolet truck was Ponder's passion project in his early days as a state trooper.
While on patrol in 2015 near Paducah in Lyon County, Ponder, who was 31 years old, was shot by Joseph Johnson-Shanks on Interstate 24 after a chase. Ponder died in the shooting, and his project was left unfinished.
Ponder's family picked up the project to finish his work.
Online tickets for the raffle went on sale Thursday, and within 24 hours, the tickets were sold out.
"I know Cameron is looking down and smiling and saying this is a good thing," Brenda Tiffany, Ponder's mother, said on Facebook. "It makes me feel good and I can't wait to pull out that winning ticket."
All proceeds from the raffle will go toward the construction of a new driver skills pad at the KSP training academy in Frankfort. The drawing is set for Feb. 17.
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