A metro Atlanta law enforcement official who died while helping a stranded motorist during a raging tornado in 1998 will be honored during next year’s annual candlelight vigil in Washington during National Police Week.
On March 20, 1998, a tornado touched down in northern Hall County and moved into White County about 6:30 a.m. Officer Bobbie Sue Hoenie had just finished up her night shift at the Dawson County Jail and was driving to her part-time job as a Hall County 911 dispatcher.
As she was driving on Highway 53, Hoenie came upon a stranded motorist. After checking on the people inside the stranded vehicle, Hoenie was trying to clear the roadway of fallen trees when she was struck and killed by a vehicle.
On Friday, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office was informed Hoenie’s name will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in the nation’s capital.
The 32nd annual Candlelight Vigil is scheduled May 13, 2020.
Hoenie’s name, according to the sheriff’s department, will also be added to the public safety memorial monument at Memorial Park South Cemetery in Flowery Branch, Georgia.
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