Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
November 20, 2005, pg 22a
Choc Douglas Ericsson
WOODWARD - A funeral will be held Tuesday for a state
narcotics agent who died Friday of massive head injuries he
received a week earlier when he was run over by a driver
reportedly high on methamphetamine.
Undercover agent Choc Douglas Ericsson, 38, died shortly
before 6 p.m. Friday, said Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.
Ericsson was run over Nov. 11 by a vehicle driven by Leslie Don
Vance, 29, after a struggle near Ericsson's home, Woodward said.
Ericsson shot Vance once in the side just before he was run
over. Vance is in an Oklahoma City hospital, but Woodward
declined to say where he is or what his condition is.
"Choc was what some of our agents describe as a narc's
narc," Woodward said Saturday. "He was sweet and
outgoing but when it came to work he was the kind of narcotics
agent that drug dealers fear. He worked tirelessly to get them
off the streets. He wouldn't stop until he tracked them
down."
Ericsson automatically stepped into his role of protector the
night his wife ran into the house with their children and told
him a man who had been driving erratically had followed them
home from a Woodward grocery store, Woodward said.
"It could have been a neighbor in trouble. It could have
been a stranger. It could have been anyone. Choc just flew into
action."
When Ericsson got outside, Vance was parked in the family's
driveway but sped backward onto the road. Ericsson followed in
his agency vehicle and pulled him over, Woodward said. Vance
"became combative and dove back into his vehicle,"
Woodward said. "I believe Choc feared the man might have
been going for a weapon."
Ericsson reached into the vehicle and tried to grab the suspect.
"Then the guy floors it and drags Choc across the
road," Woodward said.
Ericsson shot Vance and fell from the vehicle. Ericsson suffered
a head injury and broken hip and leg.
Vance "was looking to hurt somebody," Woodward said.
"There were indications (Ericsson's) wife was not the first
person this guy had encountered that evening.
"Meth users can become very violent and paranoid. I have no
doubt that Choc not only saved his family that night but also
possibly others who might have been in his (Vance's) path."
Bureau of Narcotics Director Lonnie Wright described Ericsson as
a hero: "Meth is an evil drug that can make users violent
and unpredictable. I have no doubt Choc not only protected his
family but others who would have been in Vance's path that
night."
Ericsson, who had been with the Bureau of Narcotics for five
years, leaves a wife and three young children.
"We're thankful to God that Choc was home and intercepted
the guy.
"This suspect was on a rampage that night," Woodward
said, adding there were indications he had been using
methamphetamine for two weeks and was experiencing a "meth
rage." Woodward said Vance didn't know who Ericsson's wife
was and there was no indication of why his family was targeted.
Vance is on probation from a 2001 Woodward County conviction for
endeavoring to manufacture methamphetamine. He was given a
35-year sentence with 28 years suspended. The remaining seven
years were to be suspended on completion of a drug offender work
camp.
He also had a previous conviction in Harper County for knowingly
concealing stolen property.
Ericsson's funeral will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the First United
Methodist Church, 1111 Downs St. in Woodward.
A fund has been created for Ericsson's three children. Donations
can be made to Stock Exchange Bank, Family of Choc Ericsson
Special Account, P.O. Box 1008, Woodward, OK 73802.
Gov. Brad Henry said in a statement Friday that Oklahoma has
made progress in the war on methamphetamine, but there is
"much more work to do."
"This deadly drug has endangered the lives of far too many
Oklahomans, particularly in the law enforcement community,"
he said. "And it is critical that we step up our efforts to
combat both the production and distribution of meth."
Woodward said Ericsson is the third agent the bureau has lost
since it was formed in 1975. Agent Billy Morgan, along with two
McAlester law officers, died in a plane crash in 1981 while
trying to spot marijuana fields. Agent Bill Stewart died in a
shooting during an undercover drug buy in 1985, Woodward said.
Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
November 23, 2005, pg 6a
Narcotics agent remembered as
completely devoted to family
WOODWARD - Gleaming lines of police cruisers and emergency
vehicles from dozens of law enforcement agencies across the
state filled the street Tuesday in front of Woodward's First
United Methodist Church.
Hundreds of officers,
agents and officials gathered with family and friends to pay
their final respects to Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent Choc
Douglas Ericsson.
Ericsson, 38, of Woodward died Friday of injuries he suffered
Nov. 11 when he was run over by a driver reportedly under the
influence of methamphetamine. The five-year OBN veteran is
survived by a wife and three children.
Those who knew Ericsson eulogized him as a man completely
devoted to his family, his faith and his career.
"Choc grew up wanting to be a cowboy," recalled his
father, Gary Ericsson. "He spent his last evening riding
with his beautiful wife and training a colt, and you can't think
of a better way to spend it than that. Choc's life had no
regrets, no what-ifs."
Ericsson is the third agent the bureau has lost since it was
formed in 1975. Agent Billy Morgan, along with two McAlester law
officers, died in a plane crash in 1981 while trying to spot
marijuana fields. Agent Bill Stewart died in a shooting during
an undercover drug buy in 1985.
The officers who worked with Ericsson say the lanky,
always-smiling agent in his trademark cowboy hat was the epitome
of professionalism.
"Choc was a tough agent," said OBN spokesman Mark
Woodward. "He grew up a cowboy, so when he wasn't working
narcotics or with his family he was outdoors, that's what he
loved. He had a passion for getting drugs off the street and
stopping the destruction they cause."
Woodward County Sheriff Les Morton said Ericsson and the other
two officers in the Woodward OBN field office worked closely
with local agencies.
"Choc was as good as they come," said Morton. "He
was one of the nicest, easy going guys you could ever hope to
come across. He goes way back with us even before he was an OBN
agent. He was just a super nice guy who'd do anything in the
world for you. It's tragic, a sad deal."
Ericsson started his law enforcement career in Durant and was a
Mooreland police officer before joining the OBN five years ago.
His hiring, said fellow OBN agent Scott Rowland, was a case of
each making the other better.
"Choc was better for joining the OBN, but in so many ways
the OBN is better for having had Choc," Rowland said.
"He was a consummate law enforcement officer, as good an
officer as I've seen in my 16 years. If Choc had lived to be
100, he would have had a longer life but he wouldn't have had a
better one.
"When Choc ran out that door that night, he wasn't just
protecting his family, he was protecting your family and my
family. Choc Ericsson is a hero."
A vehicle driven by 29-year-old Leslie Don Vance ran over
Ericsson on the night of Nov. 11, investigators said. Ericsson
had stopped Vance in his agency vehicle after Vance had followed
Ericsson's wife and children home from a Woodward grocery store.
In the ensuing struggle Ericsson was run over when Vance tried
to flee. Vance was shot once in the chest.
Woodward said there were indications Vance had taken
methamphetamine prior to the incident.
Source: The
Oklahoman.
Contributed by Marti Graham, February 2007. Information
posted as courtesy to researchers. The contributor is not
related to nor researching any of the above.
|
