An East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s deputy died in a single vehicle crash about 6:30 Thursday morning in Zachary.Lt. Steven Whitstine, 42, was driving to work when he veered off Pride Port Hudson Road and struck a tree.
Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said Whitstine's vehicle overturned, then struck a bridge and was found upside down in a canal.
The sheriff said it was unknown what caused the officer to veer off the road, and the incident remains under investigation.
Whitstine worked with the K-9 division and had speSheriff Sid Gautreauxnt eight years with the Sheriff’s Department and more than nine years with Baker Police prior to that.
"My heart breaks for his wife, Deputy Elisha Whitstine, who also works with the Sheriff’s office,” said Geutreaux.
Whitstine’s K-9 partner, Sixx, was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash and is being treated for minor injuries.