JONESBORO -- A police officer escorting Arkansas State University's football team Tuesday as it left Jonesboro and headed to its bowl game in New Orleans was struck and injured by a motorist, authorities said.
Cpl. Jeff Vernon, an officer with the Jonesboro Police Department's traffic division, was hit by a car when he rode his motorcycle through the intersection of Red Wolf Boulevard and Nettleton Avenue, Police Department spokesman Paul Holmes said. The intersection was closed as fans cheered the ASU team, which will play in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday.
Vernon was taken to NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, where he was treated for minor injuries and released, Holmes said.
State Desk on 12/16/2015