Driver sought after Boone County deputy hit by truck’s side mirror during highway traffic stop

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — A deputy with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) was struck by the side rearview mirror of a truck on Friday evening as he was walking to his cruiser, prompting an investigation to find the driver responsible.

It happened just after 7:15 p.m. on Friday at the 72-mile marker on I-71 South, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Having started a traffic stop just a few minutes earlier, Deputy Jacob Southworth was walking to his cruiser when he was reportedly hit by a truck’s passenger side rearview mirror.

Video captured from Deputy Southworth’s bodycam shows the truck moving closer to him before the mirror reportedly impacted him.

The driver of the truck allegedly fled south on I-71 towards Gallatin County, per the BCSO.

Deputy Southworth was taken to Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Florence, where he was treated for minor injuries and released, authorities said.

Deputies in Boone County are looking for a vehicle believed to be a white GMC or Chevrolet commercial utility truck with an unknown logo on the passenger side door.

Anyone with information that could help law enforcement find the owner of the vehicle that struck Deputy Southworth is asked to call the BCSO at (859) 371-1234. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by sending an email to crime@boonecountyky.org.