JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The community shared a somber moment Thursday morning as a procession escorted the body of Sgt. Eric Twisdale from Baptist South hospital to Hardage Giddens Funeral Home in Riverside.
Twisdale, 48, died from complications related to coronavirus, and his death is being treated as a line of duty death by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. They believe he contracted COVID-19 while on duty.
The agency had put dozens of personnel on quarantine and most everyone is back to work by now. But Twisdale did not recover.
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said Twisdale had been receiving care at a hospital in Middleburg but went downhill around a week ago and was transferred to Baptist South.
“He had been sick but a lot of people have gotten sick from COVID and the vast majority of people recover. And Eric was such a charismatic, strong guy that we all thought he would be able to bounce back and be back to work soon,” Cook said.
Instead, police from multiple agencies escorted his body Thursday in an honor procession visible all through Jacksonville.
Motorcycle officers surrounded the Clay County Fire Rescue ambulance that transported Twisdale. Fire engines and patrol cars stopped along the route, patrol cars from multiple agencies joined the procession, and many lined the route to salute and show their respects for the fallen deputy.
Somber moment as multiple agencies escort Sgt. Eric Twisdale, who died of #COVID19, from hospital to funeral home in Riverside. We saw some saluting & watching procession, which included: @ccsofl, @ClayFireRescue, @gcspd, @FHPJacksonville,@JSOPIO, @JFRDJAX & @CBP. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/cmyUSYk0zY
— Brittany Muller (@BrittMullerNews) September 17, 2020
Clay County deputies, firefighters from Clay County Jacksonville, Jacksonville officers, state troopers, Green Cove Springs police and customs and border patrol all took part in escorting their fellow first responder, who leaves behind a large family, including two daughters and multiple grandchildren.
“Eric Twisdale was an amazing police officer. Amazing man. Serious, yet funny. Had a dry sense of humor. Loved to give the people, the folks that he worked with a hard time,” Cook said. “This loss leaves a huge hole in the sheriff’s office.”
Cook asked for prayers for Twisdale’s family and fellow deputies as they mourn his passing and work together to plan his funeral.
Cook said the Sheriff’s Office has gotten a lot of help from the local faith community to help the deputies cope with the loss of the beloved sergeant.
“We leave it up to individual employees,” Cook said. “I know lots of people today went out to lunch together just to have camaraderie and the fellowship. Some people find comfort in going back to their desk and going back to work. But we have a strong network of support among one another.”
Bill Walsh, a close friend who is also in law enforcement, said it’s a hard loss.
“It’s difficult to do in a couple of sentences. He was a true friend. Once he had decided you were his friend, there was nothing he would not do for you,” Walsh said. “He was that guy you called when you were in a jam. No matter what the problem was, he seemed to have a solution. … He was always there to help no matter if it was 2 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning.”
Walsh said Twisdale was a big, powerful man with no underlying health conditions, and Walsh believes “this disease killed him.”
A celebrated career
According to Sheriff’s Office, Twisdale served on the dive team, crisis negotiation team and he served on the honor guard. He was supervisor of the crime scene unit when he died.
Twisdale entered the field of law enforcement in the early 90s at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office before joining the CCSO in 1998.
“Along the way, he earned a reputation for being courageous and having a huge heart,” the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said.
In 2014, Twisdale was awarded the agency’s Lifesaving Award for rescuing someone from drowning.
He was also recognized as Clay County’s deputy of the year for “displaying exceptional valor during the apprehension of two murder suspects.” In 2015, deputies said a chase started in St. Augustine after two teens robbed and shot a convenience store clerk and then took off, leading deputies through St. Johns, Putnam and Clay counties.
According to police, the teens were driving over medians and traveling in both the northbound and southbound lanes, putting other lives in danger. Twisdale decided the chase needed to stop.
It did -- on the Governor’s Creek Bridge.
Twisdale said he purposely aimed to stop the chase on the bridge, because if the suspects were able to get out and run, the only place they could go would be the water.
But it didn’t come to that. The teens were arrested on the bridge.
“Just quite honestly, I didn’t think about being nervous at the time," Twisdale said when he was honored. "Of course afterward, I kind of looked back at everything and saw the video a couple of days later, and it was pretty intense.”
During his service, Twisdale was assigned to the patrol division before being transferred to the detective division. In 2010, he was promoted to sergeant.