December 7, 2007

Charlottesville Police are mourning the loss of one of their own. Retired police officer and former restaurant owner Samuel “Mac” Sloan died in a traffic accident Thursday night.

Friends and colleagues say everybody knew Mac and everybody loved Mac. That's why it makes it even harder to say goodbye to a man that made such an impression on so many people.

A black shroud covers the entrance of the Charlottesville Police Department. Those inside are mourning the loss of dear friend 74-year-old Samuel "Mac" Sloan.

“He was a very straight laced person, very professional and I would say working with him, he was a lot of fun to work with,” said Lt. Ronnie Roberts of the Charlottesville Police Department.

Lt. Ronnie Roberts worked under Sloan in the traffic division for seven years before the police sergeant retired in 1988.

In Sloan’s 30 years with the force, those who knew him best say he was "by the book", but remember moments that made them laugh.

“He was working traffic at a UVa football game and someone had stolen his personal car and drove it by him and he was able to make an arrest on the gentleman that had stolen his car,” said Roberts.

In his retirement, Sloan owned and managed a restaurant called Sloans, where the Millmont Grill now stands.

Scott Cox waited tables at the restaurant before joining the Albemarle County Police Force. He recalls Sloan as a tough boss.

“He was a hands on kind of boss who always wanted the best for his patrons,” said Sgt. Scott Cox of the Albemarle County Police Department.

Sloan died Thursday night when police say he drove his car through a red light and collided with a CTS bus on Hydraulic Road near K-mart. He was apparently not wearing a seatbelt.

“[It’s] tragic [that] someone has to die that way and it’s sad for the whole community because everyone knows Mac,” said Cox.

As to what caused this long time traffic sergeant to run the light, police say they are waiting on autopsy results to finish their investigations.

The CTS bus driver and a passenger were also slightly injured in the accident and released from the hospital.