Holly MatkinJasper, AR – Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) Sergeant Jeremiah Harper died on Wednesday after an accident occurred at his residence, according to his department.
Newton County Sheriff Glen Wheeler said the 30-year-old sergeant passed away “at his home in a tragic off-duty accident,” the department said in Facebook post.
The NCSO did not release any details regarding the nature of the fatal incident.
“Their small department is understandably hurting right now. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts & prayers while they navigate through this difficult time,” the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) said in a Facebook post the following day. “Sergeant Harper leaves two families behind; his blood family and his ‘blue’ family.”
Sgt. Harper joined the NCSO in September of 2014, and went on to serve as a jailer, dispatcher, reserve deputy, full-time deputy, and as a jail sergeant, according to his department.
He graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2018.
“Jeremiah was one of those people that everyone loved,” Sheriff Wheeler said in the agency’s post. “He always had a grin on his face, would do anything for anybody and was solid and dependable.”
“His death has us all reeling and leaves a huge void in our agency and in our lives,” the sheriff continued. “Jeremiah was not only a co-worker, but a friend. We are one big family and our family is hurting. I ask for your prayers for everyone at my office and for Jeremiah’s friends and family.”
Several of Sgt. Harper’s family members were also his colleagues, Sheriff Wheeler noted.
His father, Steve Harper, is a NCSO reserve deputy and bailiff, his cousin, J.D. Harper, is a NCSO deputy, and his cousin, Dusty Morgan, is a Boone County Sheriff’s Office deputy, according to the post.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Newton County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jeremiah Harper, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
