LONGVIEW, Texas — Nearly five years later, former Panola County Sheriff Kevin Lake said Wednesday on the stand he will never forget having to tell the mother and wife of Deputy Chris Dickerson that he was killed during a traffic stop.
The trial for Gregory Newson, of Shreveport, Louisiana, who is charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 28-year-old Chris Dickerson during a Dec. 31, 2019 traffic stop, began Wednesday. Newson pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Lake told the jury that around 5 a.m. that day he and other officers came together to notify Dickerson's family of what happened.
"That was 1,758 days ago, you don't forget something like that," Lake said with tears in his eyes. Dickerson's mother asked if the sheriff's office had gotten the guy, and he told her that they had arrested him.
In their opening statements, the state said Dickerson had his dream job as a Panola County Sheriff's Office deputy. Every night, his wife would tell him to come home and he would say, "always," but on Dec. 31, 2019 he didn't.
But during a routine patrol stop in the small community of Gary in Panola County at 2 a.m., the state said Dickerson was "executed" by the man in the car, who was ultimately identified as Newson. Dickerson didn't know the driver had pounds of marijuana and money that he had no intentions of parting with.
"He didn't have a chance. He was executed," the lawyer said.
Newson didn't count on Dickerson being a diligent deputy, body cam footage and community members who happened to be nearby when the shooting happened, the prosecutor said.
"We won't be able to bring Chris Dickerson back, but we will be able to render justice," the state said.
In a brief statement, the defense told the jury that the burden of proof is the state's responsibility.
In the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2019, Lake said the dispatch notified him of an officer in distress and the only call at the time was Dickerson making a traffic stop. After hearing what happened, Lake headed to the scene to find Dickerson's partner, EMS and first responders there.
Lake said it appeared that Dickerson was already dead when he got to the scene.
The state presented the Panola County Sheriff's Office communication log from Dec. 31, 2019. The dispatcher was able to determine the vehicle that Dickerson had pulled over was registered in Louisiana, she logged that an officer was down and the vehicle involved then headed toward Carthage.
Lake said the PCSO notified Bossier Parish and Shreveport law enforcement about the vehicle heading toward that area. Law enforcement deployed spike strips at the state line and stopped the car. Newson was arrested eventually arrested.
Danny Yelverton, who lived near where the fatal traffic stop happened, testified his son woke him up about a drive-by shooting and he came out to find Dickerson face down on the highway. After not hearing from Dickerson, Yelverton used Dickerson’s radio to notify the sheriff’s office for help. He realized that what happened was much more severe than a tussle as there were multiple gunshot wounds on Dickerson, who was deceased.
Dickerson's dash cam video showed Dickerson getting shot multiple times and the driver of the vehicle he stopped driving away. Some time passed, and Yelverton ran from his house and used Dickerson’s radio to tell dispatchers that the deputy was shot.
Nacogdoches Police Department Sgt. Jacob Samford, who was Dickerson's partner at the time of the Dec. 31, 2019 traffic stop, said they would typically drive close and stay in touch with each other on their overnight shifts.
Dickerson and Samford had plans for lunch at Denny's, but it's around that time that Dickerson made the traffic stop. Samford testified he then heard "officer down" on the radio.
In body cam footage, Samford is seen saying "Chris" over Dickerson's body after he was shot multiple times, but he didn't respond.
Robert Delconte, an officer at the Henderson Police Department in 2019 living in De Berry in Panola County, recalled hearing "officer down" on the police scanner he had at his home.
Delconte had heard that the suspect was heading toward Shreveport. So he got into his personal vehicle and headed that way.
Delconte testified he became aware that Dickerson was the one who was shot. He contacted the Panola County Sheriff's Office that he was behind the suspect's vehicle on the road. While pursuing the vehicle, Delconte's vehicle was shot at and he could tell the bullets were from a high-powered rifle based on his training.
Wyatt Alexander, a former Shreveport Police Department patrol officer, testified he was made aware of a vehicle involved in a shooting heading toward Shreveport. He spotted a green Yukon and he followed it alongside another officer. The officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the car sped off.
Dash cam video shows the suspect vehicle refused to stop despite Alexander and other officers' vehicles pursuing it. Alexander had to go 90 mph to keep up with the Yukon, which eventually went through the grass of a median.
Alexander said he chased a man across the highway and Newson jumped a fence, but he was later found again.
Bossier Parish Sheriff's Deputy Loren Thibodeaux, a former Shreveport police officer, testified that a K-9 found the suspect and the dog bit Newson. Officers were trying to arrest the man, but his hands being behind his back made it difficult. He identified the person who was arrested in those early morning hours as Newson.
Shreveport Police Department officer Rosendo Rodriguez, who responded to the crash and arrest of Newson in Shreveport, testified that officers found a gun underneath the car Newson was driving.
The trial was moved to Gregg County after Presiding Judge Christi Kennedy found that an impartial and fair trial could not be held in Panola County. The trial will resume Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
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