Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Jimmy Avant, Investigator Kevin Brosch of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, and Trooper Charles Bassing of the Arkansas State Police were killed in a helicopter crash at 1 pm. The three officers were being trained by DEA agents as spotters for a marijuana eradication program. The aircraft was taking off from the Mt. Ida Municipal Airport when it experienced a mechanical failure and crashed into the ground. The helicopter, which had just been refueled, burst into flames. All three officers were burned to death as a result. Detective Avant had been employed with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office for one year.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-5C2088DA- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You barely got started.
Detective Avant gave the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Little Rock community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Avant.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective James Addison Avant is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In AR, 92 of 372 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Addison Avant's cause is highlighted.
How James Addison Avant Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Addison Avant is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Pulaski County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
