That One Time Lufkin Police Officer Randy Stallard Went Viral [VIDEO]

Retired Lufkin Police Officer Randy Stallard passed away yesterday morning on November 2nd, 2021. He was a great man and a good friend to many in the Lufkin community that he served.

His list of achievements is long, but one action went above all the rest and went viral worldwide. Officer Stallard helped rescue a kitten stuck in a tree in 2019. It sounds simple, but the body cam video was amazing.

As you may recall, Stallard and Officer Devin Trotti used a blanket together to catch the kitten. A few quick shakes of the tree and the kitten fell 30 feet into the blanket. They named the kitten "Trotti" and it was quickly adopted from the Kurth Memorial Animal Shelter.

Though this might be his most viral achievement, it pales in comparison to all the work he did in our community. He wrangled animals of all types on the job, even sporting bites and scratches to prove it after the fact.

Before retiring back in July and going to work for the Central School District he helped train and mold many freshly minted Lufkin Police Officers.

Randy Stallard was a Navy Veteran, Cancer Survivor, and played regularly with the Lufkin Crime Stoppers Band. He was fun-loving and always quick with a story.

What Now 

There have not been any announcements so far about arrangements.

Officer Stallard left us with lots of lessons about how to be an exemplary officer and many more about just being an amazing person. He will be missed.