An armored personnel carrier bought by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office in a surplus sale went on the road last week to aid stranded motorist trapped in flash flood waters last Wednesday.
“We were nearly overwhelmed by the number of calls we were getting of people trapped in vehicles,” Newton County Sheriff Joedy Pennington said. According to 911 dispatch records the a dozen calls were made by motorists. With calls also coming in of hazardous road conditions, Pennington said he determined the best options was to put Deputy Kris Hollingsworth behind the wheel of the armored personnel carrier that was originally designed to keep military personnel safe from explosive devices and armor piercing artillery.
A view from the SRT carrier as deputies approach an abandoned vehicle inundated by rapidly rising flood waters.
Photo Special to The Appeal
“Originally the main purpose for purchasing it was to keep officers of the Special Response Team safe,” Pennington said. The vehicle has recently been part of the active shooter drillers the team has enacted on the campuses of Newton County High School and Newton High School this summer. “But it worked great in getting us to those stranded motorists calls.”
The massive vehicle would have been out of reach for most budgets, but thanks to some extensive online shopping and writing skills Pam Joyner, the department’s grant writer, was able to secure the 43,000 pound vehicle for $10,000. With an originally price tag of $759,000 Joyner found the vehicle listed in a surplus sale. The carrier was purchased in late 2021 with monies confiscated from local drug arrests, Pennington said. “When we got it, it had been sitting on a base parking lot. The plastic covers were still on the seats.”
During the day Wednesday, Pennington said the carrier successfully navigated calls to Mt. Zion Road, Decatur-Little Rock Road, Sulphur Springs Road, and several others. In all cases motorists had made it out of the vehicles, but Pennington said they know the vehicle can navigate the strong currents and rising waters making it a valuable asset to the department and community.
