Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Wayne Loughrige and his son, Joseph Arter, 17, were killed in a single-vehicle accident Friday in Humboldt on Highway 69.
Arizona Department of Public Safety officials said the officer’s SUV drifted into the center median at milepost 277. Loughrige reportedly over corrected and lost control before hitting an embankment along the right side of the road.
Both Loughrige and his son were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. They were both pronounced dead on the scene.
There was no indication that speed or impairment was a factor in the accident.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the tragic deaths of an Arizona law enforcement veteran and his son, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement released this weekend. “The deaths were not in the line of duty, but no less devastating for their family, friends and law enforcement colleagues across northern Arizona and beyond. No words of mine can ease this heartbreak. I can only express the appreciation of a grateful state for Lt. Loughrige’s 21 years of devoted law enforcement service to this state, and ask that Arizonans join me in offering a prayer for him and his son. Both have been lost far too young.”
Lieutenant Loughrige was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2007. He began his career with Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in 1991 as a Detention Officer.