Deputy John Strickland
EOW 9/24/2003
Sheriff Larry Rollins, with the deepest sympathy and regret, announces the death of Patrol Officer John Strickland on Wednesday, September 24, 2003.
Deputy John F. Strickland, age 38, was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 in a one vehicle accident on Nursery Road off Highway 87. Deputy Strickland was responding to a call when the accident occurred. The call involved a citizen calling 911 stating that he woke up that morning and there was an unknown subject in his house. Deputy Strickland was dispatched to the call at 7:39 and the call on the accident was received at 7:46.
Deputy Strickland joined the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office on January 15, 2003.
Deputy Sheriff John F. Strickland was married to Rebecca Lynn Strickland. They have three children; Christopher Terrell (stepson), Joshua Strickland, and daughter Danielle Strickland . They lived near Spring Lake in Harnett County. Deputy John F. Strickland was the son of retired Harnett County Sheriff’s Captain Bill Strickland.
John attended Western Harnett High School, graduated 1983. He joined the US Army in July 1983 and retired in 2003 with twenty years of service with the rank of Sergeant First Class. He attended Piece College, Tacoma, WA where he received an Associates Degree. He received his Basic Law Enforcement Training at Fayetteville Technical Community College in 2002.
Deputy Christopher Johnson
EOW 2/6/2024
On 2/6/2024 at 1456 hours the Harnett County Sheriff's Office 911 Center received an emergency call regarding a motor vehicle collision on Darroch Rd Lillington, NC.
Emergency Responders arrived on scene to locate a three vehicles collision, to include a Deputy Sheriff. Two individuals were transported with non-life threatening injuries. Deputy Sheriff Chris Johnson succumbed to his injuries on scene. Deputy Johnson was 51 years old and was assigned as a school resource officer at Highland Middle School. He has served the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office honorably for 16 months. He has previously worked with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years and the Dunn Police Department for 9 years. He was a professional law enforcement veteran who was well respected by his colleagues in the profession and in his community.
Sheriff Coats asks that you pray for all the families involved in this tragedy. As we mourn the untimely loss of Deputy Johnson, we recognize the impact he has had on the community where he lived but also the community in which he served. Please continue to pray for not only his family, but also those who he has impacted through his dedicated service to the Harnett County School System. The accident is being investigated by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.