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Posted: April 4, 2009
Updated: April 6, 2009

Former Morrisville police chief dies in motorcycle crash

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Personnel Matter Cited In Firing Of Morrisville Police Chief

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Graham, N.C. — A former Morrisville police chief died when he was thrown from his motorcycle and hit a concrete mailbox in Alamance County Saturday evening, according to the state Highway Patrol.

Robert Whitesell Jr., 55, was driving a motorcycle on N.C. Highway 87 South, near Mount Olive Church Road, when he lost control of the bike, troopers said.

Whitesell, of Apex, was thrown from the bike and hit the mailbox. He was wearing a helmet. Authorities pronounced him dead on the scene.

Whitesell served as Morrisville's police chief for five years before being fired in late 2003 in a personnel matter.

Troopers said speed and alcohol were not factors in the wreck.

RELATED TOPICS: Alamance County, Morrisville, Apex

17 Comments

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Latest Comments

You all are too thin-skinned. Former President Nixon had his obituary and Watergate records all together and has for years. Everyone has their life and the good in it - and there is also the bad. WRAL or any other news agency isn't obligated to write anything else except facts about a person, place or thing. So all of you out there wagging your finger and saying "shame on you" and all that nonsense need to go find something else to gripe about.

tracyallen
April 6, 2009 4:51 p.m.

i think that whenever someone is writing an article about someone else's death, the writer should stop and consider whether or not they are writing things that they would not want mentioned in an article about their own death.

slick rick da troll whisperer
April 6, 2009 3:47 p.m.

"They take cheap shots if they are LEO.." That is one perspective. Another observation is that non-LEOs who die in auto accidents are first thought to be under the influence and no stone is unturned until determined one way or another. And it usually takes longer than the next day. My condolences to his family.

CrewMax
April 6, 2009 1:04 p.m.

As a former Chief of Police also in Morrisville, my condolences to Bobbys family!!

ratherbnnc
April 6, 2009 12:55 p.m.

I defend Wral.com for posting the part about his firing. I was wondering what happened to him. If he went on to another job that would hav been posted. If he retired, that would have been posted.

The thing that strikes me is the grammatical error in the title. One of many that you find on this site everyday.

caniacincary
April 6, 2009 12:51 p.m.

VIEW ALL 17 COMMENTS

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