MARS HILL — The communities of Madison County and Yancey County are mourning the loss of Mike Boone, who was struck and killed by a driver just two days after he retired after 32 years in law enforcement.
Boone, who retired as Marshall police chief on Thursday after serving 10 years, was struck and killed just before 11 p.m. on Aug. 2 by a driver traveling on the wrong side of Interstate 26 near Exit 11 for Mars Hill, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed.
Boone left the Madison campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, where he had taken the oath and was still working part-time as a police officer, and went to his home in Yancey County, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer.
According to Sergeant PJ Morgan of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the driver of a 2019 Jaguar, who is being investigated on a report of a stolen vehicle by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of I-26 when it collided head-on with Boone, who was driving his Ford pickup truck.
The driver of the 2019 Jaguar, whose identity has not been released, has also died.
“After the initial impact, both vehicles burned for approximately five to 10 minutes before firefighters arrived and brought the fire under control,” Morgan said.
As for identifying the driver of the Jaguar, “We’re waiting for the coroners to do a forensic examination on him,” Morgan said, adding that the process normally takes one to two weeks.
Morgan said the 2019 Jaguar had not been reported stolen at the time, but the State Highway Patrol had contacted the owner, who said he was out of state and did not know if anyone else had the car.
Morgan said he dispatched two State Highway Patrol troopers to the residence associated with the 2019 Jaguar. He eventually assigned the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a burglary and a report of a stolen vehicle in connection with the 2019 Jaguar.
Boone is survived by his wife Jennifer, daughter Morganne and granddaughter Mikenlee.
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This article originally appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times: Retired Marshall Police Chief Mike Boone Killed in Crash on I-26
