By Tim Reid Anchor/Reporter
Tim Reid treid@wrbl.com news 3 on your side
A thirteen year veteran of the Opelika Police Department was laid to rest Thursday morning. Cose to one thousand people attended corporal Belk's funeral in Opelika at Central Baptist. It was a somber but uplifting service that paid tribute to the life and memory of John Belk. After the service corporal Belk’s casket was brought out with a full police honor guard. In addition to the hundreds of friends and family members who came, dozens of local police agencies were on hand to pay respect. After the funeral services, many people like Don Verner and his wife Penny reflected on the good times they spent with John Belk and the kind of person he was. “John was just a ball of fun, he was always happy, always in a good mood. Loved to hunt and have fun and loved his children”. Penny Verner has similar memories. “John was always happy. I never saw him sad he was always fun. The first time I met him he was fun and always cutting up. He would do anything for you. He was just a great person”. Sarah Wright works for the City of Opelika and says each time John Belk walked into her building, he lit up the room. “He was a very kind and precious person. And working with him in the city, he has been a very special person to us”. Before he served as an Opelika police officer, John Belk worked in Phenix city as a police officer there. Belk also worked with the Lee county sheriff's office. Corporal John Belk leaves behind a wife he married just six months ago, and two sons ages six and ten. After the funeral services, Belk was laid to rest at Garden hills cemetery. Corporal John Belk was killed Sunday afternoon in a head on collision with a green Ford sports utility vehicle. The crash happened on Sandhill road in Auburn. Belk was killed on impact, he was not on duty at the time. Belk was headed to dinner with family and friends at that time of the accident. Police say Jimmy Vickerstaff was driving the vehicle that struck and killed John Belk. Vickerstaff was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. In the arrest warrant, Police said they smelled the odor of alcohol on Vickerstaff’s breath. He is being held in the lee county jail. Tim Reid treid@wrbl.com news 3 on your side
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