Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Gary Priess was killed when he was struck by a tractor-trailer while making a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 127 near the I-69 interchange.
He was speaking with the driver of the vehicle he had stopped, when the tractor-trailer struck his cruiser, and then him. The driver of the tractor-trailer pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, two years probation, and 60 hours of community service.
Officer Priess had served with the DeWitt Township Police Department for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-AC783A7D- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Priess gave the DeWitt Township Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the DeWitt community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Priess.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Gary Neil Priess 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At DeWitt Township Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gary Neil Priess's cause is highlighted.
How Gary Neil Priess Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gary Neil Priess is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from DeWitt Township Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
