SMITH COUNTY, Texas — An East Texas teen is being recognized for her talents and compassion after doing a good deed for the family of a fallen Smith County deputy.
According to the Smith County Sheriff's Office, Calee Tilton, 16, of Palestine, used four law enforcement patrol shirts and patches from agencies Lorenzo Bustos worked for to make pillows for his wife and family.
"The pillows have the inscription of the nickname Deputy. Bustos called his wife and each of his children," the SCSO said.
Bustos, 29, was on patrol with another deputy in the later hours of July 28, 2022, in the 14000 block of State Highway 155 S. and had performed a traffic stop with emergency lights activated on the patrol unit, the SCSO said.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says the deputies had two people in the vehicle in handcuffs and put them in the back seat of the unit.
At approximately 12:15 a.m., on July 29, the other deputy, Michael Skinner, called emergency services saying Bustos had been hit by a different vehicle.
The sheriff's office said Bustos was flown to a Tyler hospital, where he died in the ICU around 6 a.m.
Daniel Nyabuto, who officials identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck the deputies, was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail initially on an intoxicated assault charge. He was later transferred to the Gregg County Jail.
Bustos was in his last day of the "ghost phase," which is a part of the SCSO training process. He had been with the SCSO for about five months when he died.