Funeral services planned for THP Sergeant Harold Lee Russell, II

MCKENZIE, Tenn. — Funeral services have been planned for fallen Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant Harold Lee Russell, II.

The funeral will take place Sunday, August 28 at Long Heights Baptist Church in McKenzie. Services will begin at 3 p.m.

Sgt. Russell was killed near Chattanooga on August 23 in a helicopter crash that also claimed the life of Marion County Sheriff’s Department Detective Matt Blansett.

Sgt. Russell was assigned to THP’s Special Operations Aviation Unit and was just 35-years-old at the time of his death.

He was born in Jackson on April 19, 1987 and he graduated from McKenzie High School in 2005. He was also a graduate of UT Martin in 2008.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 p.m. until time of service. Internment will be held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

“Our hearts are filled with sadness,” THP Colonel Matt Perry stated in a news release. “As we navigate these difficult times, we ask that you please pray for their families, friends, and the men and women of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. These men are heroes, and we will never forget them.”

The crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration.

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