Sergeant Linden "Beau" Raimer

Linden "Beau" Raimer

Sergeant Beau Raimer and his fiancée, Deputy Sheriff Mary Mayo, were killed when a rotted pine tree fell onto the patrol car they were in.

They were driving in the funeral procession for Deputy Sheriff Hilery Mayo, who had been killed in the line of duty four days earlier, when the accident happened.

The procession was traveling along West 21st Avenue through Covington when a violent thunderstorm with devastating rain and winds developed. A large pine tree fell onto the patrol car as it passed South Johnson Street. The tree crushed the top of the patrol car and killed Sergeant Raimer instantly. Deputy Mayo suffered a severed spinal cord that caused her to become paralyzed from the chest down. She underwent years of rehabilitation and was able to return to the sheriff's office as a dispatcher for a short time, however, complications from her injuries caused her to become bedridden. She succumbed to her injuries 16 years later on September 21st, 2023.

Sergeant Raimer had served with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office for 10 years. He is survived by his parents, sister, and two nephews.