TEMPLE — A memorial ceremony and monument-placing was held in Temple Thursday morning for fallen officer Thomas Nipper. Nipper was hit and killed in November of 2017 during a traffic stop in the middle of the afternoon on Interstate 35.
"Going through this is hard, but it's nice when people come up to you with stories about your dad. It just lets us know that even though we think about him every day, there's other people thinking about him, too," said Amy Schmoyer, Nipper's daughter, after the ceremony.
DPS identified the driver of the truck that hit Trooper Nipper as Scott Taylor, 44, of Marble Falls.
Taylor was indicted May 23 on a charge of criminally negligent homicide.
His indictment states while driving, he:
- Failed to maintain a single lane of travel
- Failed to lookout for other vehicles on the roadway and in his path
- Failed to brake in a timely manner in order to avoid a collision
- Failed to turn in order to avoid a collision
- Improperly entered and drove on the shoulder
- Failed to either slow down or move over while approaching Nipper's emergency vehicle
Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony in Texas, in which sentencing can range from 6 months to 2 years.