Chair-in-Road Death of Police Officer

(Deland, Florida) In July 2007, three self-described pranksters placed a plastic lawn chair in the middle of Interstate-4 near Deltona to "have fun."

About 1:30 AM, Longwood Police Sgt. Karl Strohsal had just finished his shift and was heading home when he swerved to avoid the chair and ran into the guardrail.

Strohsal activated his unmarked car's blue lights and stepped out of his damaged car.

A motorist swerved and missed Strohsal but a second motorist, Dwayne Love of Orlando, struck and killed the sergeant ....

The three alleged pranksters immediately fled. Love was later sentenced to jail for drunken driving. However, according to Florida Highway Patrol Investigator Cpl. Alan Conklin, Love would not have been able to stop in time even if he had been sober.

The trio who perpetrated the deadly stunt are Tyler Jenkins, 20, of St. Petersburg, Eric Biggs, 19, of Deltona, and Katie Jo Peller, 20, of Lakeland. All have been sentenced to prison.

Jenkins, the ringleader, was given nine years for manslaughter. Biggs and Peller each received four years in prison for being accessories after the fact to manslaughter.

Sad story. A police officer dies because of reckless behavior by three jello-brains.