FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. —
The Triad is mourning tonight, The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office says Deputy Sheriff II Auston Reudelhuber died on his way to work.
Thousands grieved online with the sheriff's office, one Pitt County deputy traveled nearly three hours to pay her respects.
"Being in law enforcement, I just came to pay my respects to a fellow brother in blue," Deputy Shea said.
She says Forsyth County was her home before she moved to Greenville, North Carolina.
"Where I work is 2 1/2 hours away and it doesn't matter if you're in a different state. We're brothers and sisters, and it's a family bond that will never go away no matter what," Shea said.
Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. says the sudden death of his sheriff's deputy is unforgettable.
"This is probably one of my saddest days in office since coming into office," he said.
The sheriff says Deputy Reudelhuber died Saturday morning after the driver of a box truck hit the on-duty deputy head-on. He was driving on NC 150 in Davidson County.
Deputy Reudelhuber was 32 years old and served as a field training officer in Forsyth County. He also worked with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office in addition to spending nearly a decade in the U.S. Army.
State Highway Patrol says the driver of the box truck is charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and reckless driving. Troopers are looking into how the truck driver left the center lane and hit Deputy Reudelhuber's patrol vehicle.
The Forsyth's Sheriff's Office is fundraising for the family.