On June 18, 2008, K9 officer Greg Surles was seriously injured while on duty when an 18-wheel truck slammed into the side of his police car shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Cropwell Drive/Kings Circle in Alabama. Surles was crossing U.S. 231 from Kings Circle when the truck, traveling south on U.S. 231, hit the driver’s side of the squad car. The truck jackknifed along U.S. 231, and the impact sent Surles’ police vehicle into a ditch south of the intersection. The driver of the truck, James Michael Scogins, 44, of Pell City was taken to St. Vincent’s St. Clair in a private vehicle. Greg Surles was initially unconscious when rescue workers first arrived at the scene, but he later became conscious before being taken to Birmingham. A Lifesaver helicopter transported Surles to University Hospital in Birmingham, where he was taken into surgery with massive internal injuries. Greg was being treated for numerous broken bones and a torn aorta. Officer Greg Surles died sixteen days later at 9:50 a.m. on July 4, 2008. His first job in law enforcement was with the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department. He worked with that department for two years before taking a job with the Odenville Police Department. Surles worked as a police and K-9 officer with the Odenville Police Department from 1999-2002. When he joined the Pell City Police Department he was a K9 officer for Pell City for approximately six years.
James Michael Scogins, 44, of Pell City was arrested on September 22, 2008 and charged with the manslaughter death of Pell City police officer Greg Surles. A St. Clair County grand jury indicted Scogins in the manslaughter death of Surles and he was released after posting his $25,000 bond.
Surles’s wife, Robin, has filed a lawsuit naming James Michael Scogin and Hugghins Transportation Inc. who Scogin worked for at the time of the accident.
