Longtime Townsend sgt., wife die in wrong-way N.H. crash
The community of Townsend was devastated Friday when a longtime beloved police sergeant and his wife were killed in a New Hampshire highway crash involving a driver who was going the wrong way.
John Johnson, 58, who recently retired after nearly four decades, and his wife, Heidi Johnson, 57, were killed when a pickup truck traveling eastbound on the westbound side of Route 101 in Epping, N.H., late Thursday crashed into their car headed westbound. Another driver unable to see the crash ran into the pickup.
The pickup driver, 31year-old Ryan Kittredge, of Derry, N.H., was hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver who crashed into the pickup, 23-year-old Andrew Neeper, of Raymond, N.H., suffered nonlife-threatening injuries.
“It is with great sadness that I am sharing news of the tragic death of Sgt. John Johnson and his wife Heidi Johnson in a car crash,” Townsend police Chief Richard Bailey said in a statement. “Sgt. Johnson has served the Townsend community since 1978. Please take time to remember this fine officer and his family.”
With 40 years on the job, Johnson was invaluable to the small department and the community it served, his law enforcement colleagues said.
Johnson started at the department in 1978 and was appointed full-time in 1985. He retired in July, but the department insisted he stay on as a reserve officer.
“When I talked to him about his retirement, he said he didn’t have any plans. I think that was on purpose,” said Townsend Deputy Chief James Sartell. “I convinced him to stay on with us.”
Johnson, who was the most senior officer upon his retirement, was remembered for his dedication and love for Townsend. He was known as an old-school policeman with much compassion for people, his colleagues recalled. Every June, Johnson would cook burgers and hot dogs for the annual senior picnic, donning his funny drill sergeant apron.
“He was the nighttime sergeant. He’d get up and set up for this,” Sartell said. “He would man this grill and this year it was hot as hell. It speaks to his level of community involvement.”
At the Townsend Police Department, black banners hung to mourn the tragic loss. Community members, firefighters, EMTs and others from around the area streamed into the department to express sympathy.
The Pepperell, Lunenberg and Ashby police departments provided coverage on Friday so Townsend officers could grieve.
Sue Lisio, chairwoman of the Townsend Board of Selectmen, in a statement called Johnson a “tireless community volunteer.” She said the town will provide grief counseling services to the police department.
“It’s been tough,” Sartell said. “It’s a real kick in the stomach. You can’t measure that impact — 40 years of his life dealing with people and emergencies. It is hard to measure the true impact someone like that has on the community.”
“This was senseless,” Sartell added. “It adds a bitterness. It adds to the pain.”