Police officer's family files suit against accused driver

Opelika police officer John William Belk III was killed in a two-vehicle wreck in August.

By: Katie Stallcup Staff writer | Opelika Auburn News
Published: December 23, 2008

Family of an Opelika police officer killed in an August wreck have filed a civil suit against the man law enforcement have said was driving the other vehicle involved.
John William Belk III was killed when the Jeep he was driving collided head-on with an SUV on Sandhill Road in Auburn.
The lawsuit was filed in Lee County Circuit Court Nov. 25 on behalf of Belk’s wife and two sons against Jimmy Vickerstaff Jr. and Shawn Teresa Patterson, who plaintiff’s attorneys say owned the car Vickerstaff was driving.
A criminal case against Vickerstaff is also pending. He was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.
No trial date has yet been set for the civil and criminal cases.
Vickerstaff remains in custody at the Lee County Detention Facility. The case must still be presented to a grand jury, and he has yet to be arraigned, said Lauryn Lauderdale, Vickerstaff’s criminal defense attorney.
“We maintain his innocence,” Lauderdale said. “We are sorry for the family of Mr. Belk.”
Wes McCollum, the attorney handling the civil case on behalf of the Belk family said, “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned in trying to do what we can for the family.
“John not only was an officer who served the community for a lot of years, but he was also a friend of mine,” McCollum said, adding that he hoped damages would be awarded in the civil case to provide for Belk’s family.
It is not known if either Vickerstaff or Patterson have retained attorneys for the civil case.