Retired deputy picking up debris killed by Jaguar driver accused of DUI, Florida cops say

A retired Florida sheriff’s deputy was fatally struck while removing debris from the road, according to investigators, and a sobriety test revealed the Jaguar driver was intoxicated.

The collision happened around 7:40 p.m. Monday, March 17, when 69-year-old Dan Cooley stepped into six-lane Van Fleet Drive in Bartow, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Bartow is about a 45-mile drive east from Tampa.

“The victim ... had pulled his vehicle over onto the northern edge of the road and turned on his hazards, then got out of his vehicle to remove a large tote that had fallen from his vehicle and was creating a roadway hazard in the center lane,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The suspect, 50-year-old Aaron Wells of Winter Haven, was driving a 2008 Jaguar S-type westbound in the center lane when he struck Cooley, then came to a stop,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Cooley was taken to Bartow Regional Medical Center and “resuscitated multiple times but ultimately succumbed to his injuries,” officials said.

He had been living in Bartow after retiring as a sergeant from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 2007, officials said.

“Deputies at the scene detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage from (the driver), who also had slurred speech and watery eyes,” officials said.

“Deputies performed field sobriety tests, during which (he) displayed signs of impairment. ... He told deputies he drank several beers prior to driving.”

An 11-year-old girl was a passenger in his car, but she was not injured during the collision.

The suspect was charged with felony DUI manslaughter and felony negligent child abuse, officials said.

Cooley joined the sheriff’s office in 1986, working as a detention deputy and receiving a promotion to sergeant in 2002 before retiring in 2007.

“Sergeant Dan Cooley was a public servant for over 20 years, and had been enjoying retirement for nearly as long, when he was tragically and senselessly struck and killed,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release.

This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Retired deputy picking up debris killed by Jaguar driver accused of DUI, Florida cops say."