Santee Sheriff's Deputy while trying to stop a drunk driver going the wrong-way on SR-52 one year ago in Santee, making the ultimate sacrifice to keep other drivers safe.
Family, friends and colleagues celebrated his memory today in a in Old Town, by adding Collier's photo to a wall in the William B. Kolender Sheriff's Museum that honors fallen deputies.
Sheriff's vehicles and American flags decorated the sidewalk outside of the ceremony. Sheriff Bill Gore gave a speech and some of the many deputies in attendance sang the National Anthem and presented a wreath to Collier's family.
Witnesses to the accident testified that they saw a sedan going the wrong way on westbound at 3:15 a.m. It was foggy and the roads were wet that morning. One woman testified that she saw the headlights coming the wrong way, pulled over, saw the Deputy's car with flashing emergency lights chase after it, and then saw it crash and burst into flames.
Collier -- who was engaged to be married -- died after being flown to a hospital.
Jose Lopez Jasso pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges in the Feb. 28, 2010 death of Deputy Ken Collier, who was in pursuit of Jasso. to more than eleven years in prison for the incident.
City News Service contributed to this report.
