Young TX Deputy Lesley Wade ID’d As Victim In Friday Fatal Vehicle Crash

ANGELINA COUNTY, TX. (THECOUNT) — 24-year-old Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy Lesley Wade was killed in a tragic crash involving 64-year-old big-rig driver, Juan Juarez of Nacogdoches, in Huntington at around 9 a.m. on Friday.

Wade was driving with her two children on Highway 69 in rural Angelina County when her 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed into Juarez’s 2014 Mack truck tractor towing a 2023 Great Dane box trailer at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 1818.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Mack truck was stretched across both south-bound lanes of U.S. 69 as Juarez was yielding to oncoming north-bound traffic. This caused Wade’s Jeep to strike the back portion of the trailer. Heavy fog is cited as a contributing factor in the crash, though the investigation is ongoing.

Deputy Wade was identified by Jasper County Judge Mark Allen and was taken to CHI St. Luke’s Memorial Lufkin with serious injuries, where she was later pronounced dead.

“This afternoon we mourn the loss of one of our own. Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy Lesley Wade left this world far too soon, and leaves behind her husband Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Wade and their two young twin children,” Judge Allen wrote in a Facebook post.

Her two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl, were also taken to CHI St. Luke’s Memorial Lufkin, with non-life-threatening injuries. Juarez was not injured in the crash.

Off-duty deputy Valdez, who was on his way to Lufkin with his family, witnessed the aftermath of the crash:

“When we passed it I saw a car smacked into it so I flipped my lights and siren and went to the nearest turnaround, blocked it and put on my vest,” Valdez said.

Valdez gathered bystanders to assist:

“I got some Samaritans help to bust the windows open and pulled two kids out of their car seats, then we got the door open to the drivers side and I cut the airbag out. It wasn’t a good sight, so I just held her still until the EMT got there,” said an emotional Valdez.

Reflecting on the incident, Valdez expressed his sorrow and the impact of such tragedies on the first responder community:

“It hurts, because that could be me or anybody responding to a call,” said Valdez, “I teared up at the scene when I saw her, it was pretty hard to see. It’s hard to process because you have to put your emotions to the side and figure out how to control the scene.”

Valdez also sent a message to Wade’s family:

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more, I did what I could with what I had. I’m just sorry that it happened. I wish I could have done more for the family,” said Valdez.

Heartfelt condolences have been shared across social media from Wade’s friends and peers, including Sheriff-elect Chuck Havard:

“She was genuine and was so passionate about making a positive impact on the world we live in. This tragedy is a huge loss for Jasper County and the entire law enforcement community throughout the State of Texas,” wrote Havard in a post.

Jasper County Judge Mark Allen remembered Wade for her dedication:

“She wasn’t afraid to work. She wasn’t afraid to take care of business. She was one of our better ones. We just ask that everybody just continue to pray for Chris and their children and their families and support them and uplift them during this time,” said Allen.

The investigation by the Texas DPS into the crash continues.

Angelina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in East Texas and its county seat is Lufkin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,395. The Lufkin, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Angelina County. It was formed in 1846 from Nacogdoches County.

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