HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Hillsborough County Sheriff Deputy Caitlin LaVigne was grieving her father, a fellow deputy who died just hours from retirement after a naked fugitive crashed.
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More than four years after Sgt. Brian LaVigne died after three decades of service, Travis Garrett accepted a plea deal with a 45-year prison sentence.
“I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to be a [Field Training Officer] like him. He made Street Crimes, I wanted to be on Street Crimes, too. Whatever he did, I wanted to do,” Deputy Caitlin LaVigne said in a statement after the 2021 tragedy.
Garrett, who was paralyzed at 32 after the fatal crash on Jan. 11, 2021, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with violence.
“This senseless crime robbed a family of a tremendous father and husband who deserved a long and happy retirement,” County State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement earlier this week.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister described the late deputy as “a devoted husband, father, and public servant” who had protected his community “with courage and compassion.”