Police Officer Ross Bartlett was killed when his patrol car was struck by another vehicle as he conducted a traffic stop on southbound Highway 77 near Little Salt Road at about 7:35 pm.
He was sitting in his patrol car during the stop when a pickup truck struck his vehicle in the rear, pushing it into the car he had stopped. Bystanders attempted life-saving measures on Officer Bartlett before he was flown to Bryan Health West Campus where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the car he had stopped suffered serious injuries as a result of the collision.
Officer Bartlett had served with the Ceresco Police Department for seven years and had also concurrently served as an investigator with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for seven years. He had served a total of 30 years in law enforcement and had previously served with the Valentine Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and Newman Grove Police Department. He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Ceresco Fire Department.
