Lincoln County sheriff’s lieutenant remembers colleague killed in motorcycle crash

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - In an interview Monday night, Lt. Justin Frye with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office described the death of his friend and colleague, Jamie Jackson, as ‘a nightmare’.

Jackson, a deputy with the sheriff’s office, died after a motorcycle crash in Lincolnton Sunday afternoon. According to the sheriff’s office, Jackson was driving his motorcycle and skidded into another vehicle. Deputies say he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Frye found out about the crash soon after it happened.

“When I got the call, they were still working him here in the curve. I got to the hospital and they put the chopper down,” explained Frye.

He explained that his friend died doing something he really liked.

“He obviously enjoyed riding his motorcycle. We all tried to talk him out of that, but you know he’s his own man and in this line of work, you live for today,” explained Frye.

The lieutenant said he and Frye had previously served on the county SWAT team together. He said Jackson was someone you wanted to work alongside.

“He was an Army ranger so he had been in a lot of action. He was one of those guys you enjoyed having go through the door with you. If business is gonna get handled, he’s gonna handle business,” elaborated Frye.

Frye said that while the two men knew each other through work, they started hanging out off the clock too and enjoyed hunting together.

“We were kinda like the odd couple I guess. He’s the big tall black guy. I’m the short little white guy. He’s a Democrat. I was a Republican,” explained Frye.

The large American flag in front of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has been lowered to half-staff and a black and blue cross has been placed along the road near the outer limits of the agency’s property.

Lincoln County Sheriff Bill Beam described Jackson as, a ‘good officer who could interact well with the public’.

“He’d give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was there for his friends. He was loyal. He’s a good cop,” said Frye.

The lieutenant said funeral arrangements for Jackson haven’t been finalized. Jackson leaves behind three sons ages 20, 16 and 11.

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