Wellston officer dies in Ohio crash, motorcade held

WELLSTON, Ohio (WOWK) — A motorcade was held for a Wellston Police officer who sustained fatal injuries in a Jackson County crash early Saturday morning.

Around 2 a.m., 25-year-old Matthew Juniper, an officer with the Wellston Police Department, was a passenger in a registered gold cart being driven southbound on South Pennsylvania Avenue near the intersection of 6th Street when a vehicle struck the back of the cart, according to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The cart was knocked off the left side of the road before hitting a tree.

The release said Juniper was transported to Holzer of Jackson where it was confirmed he sustained fatal injuries. The driver of the golf cart suffered serious injuries and was taken to Holzer before being transported by medical helicopter to Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia.

The driver of the vehicle was a juvenile, who sustained minor injuries and was transported by Jackson County EMS.

The road was closed for almost six hours during the investigation, but the investigation is ongoing.

In honor of Officer Juniper, a motorcade was held in the evening, starting around 7:30 p.m., according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Officer Juniper was transported through Chillicothe Pike, Wellston and Nelsonville.

Agencies that responded to the crash included the Ohio State Highway Patrol Crash Reconstruction Unit, Wellston Police Department, Wellston Fire Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Emergency Medical Services, Jackson County Coroner’s Office, Wellston City Service Director’s Office and Five Time Towing.