Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff on Friday, September 18 in honor of a Kentucky State Police trooper killed in the line of duty.
Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, 31, was fatality shot after a traffic stop around 10:20 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 24 in Lyon County. Ponder had been on the force less than a year.
“Jane and I are deeply saddened by Trooper Ponder’s death, and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family,” Gov. Beshear said.
Trooper Ponder, a Rineyville native, graduated from the state police training academy in January and was assigned to Trigg County in the Post 1 District.
Visitation for Trooper Ponder will be held from 1-8 p.m. Thursday at Stithton Baptist Church, located at 95 Park Ave. in Radcliff. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Severns Valley Baptist Church, located at 1100 Ring Road in Elizabethtown. Burial will follow in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery, 2501 North Dixie Blvd. in Fort Knox.
Governor Beshear encourages individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies to join this tribute as we mourn the loss of Trooper Ponder.