Jonesboro police officer, man killed in vehicle collision

JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - A Jonesboro police officer and another person were killed in a head-on collision on a northeastern Arkansas highway.

“On Sunday evening, Patrolman Zachary Barton and his wife were involved in a head-on collision in Lawrence County. Patrolman Barton died on the scene,” Jonesboro police say in a post on their Facebook page.

Jonesboro police said Barton’s wife, Elaina Barton, was hospitalized in critical condition.

An Arkansas State Police report says Barton, 28, and Nicholas McCarroll, 38, both of Walnut Ridge, died when the northbound vehicle driven by McCarroll crossed the center line of Highway 63 about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and collided head-on with the southbound vehicle driven by Barton with his wife as a passenger.

The state police report says the weather was clear and the highway was dry at the time of the crash in Portia.