Union County Dispatch

CAMDEN, SC Sept 19 2009 (WIS) – A state trooper was killed in a traffic accident Saturday morning in Camden during a memorial ride for another fallen trooper.

Kershaw County Sheriff’s Capt. David Thomley said 41-year-old Jonathan Nash was driving the lead motorcycle on a memorial ride for Trooper H. Merl Godbold.

Six Highway Patrol motorcycles and two HP patrol cars with their lights activated, escorting a group of motorcycles from Camden Middle School to Bishopville and back to Camden.

Thomley said Nash was hit by a car pulling out of a parking lot onto Highway 1 in Camden, and was killed.

“L/Cpl. Nash was an excellent trooper who had earned the distinction of serving on the motor unit,” said Highway Patrol Col. Kenny Lancaster, Jr. “Trooper Nash was well-loved and would be the first to step up and help anyone. This is a tragedy compounded because L/Cpl. Nash was killed during a charity ride to honor another trooper killed on the same roadway.”

Nash, a resident of Union County, joined the Highway Patrol in 1994. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1986-1993. He is a native of Manatee, Florida.

He is survived by his parents, Dan and George-Ann Nash, both of Anderson, SC, and a 14 year old daughter.

The collision is being investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at the request of the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Thomley wasn’t sure about the possibility of any arrests in the wreck.

Trooper H. M. Godbold was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver in February 1992. Godbold’s family has organized the ride in his honor since 2006.

Funeral arrangements for Nash will be released by the Highway Patrol at the wishes of his family.

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