| Notes |
- July 22, 2020
Marcus Trollinger Killed in Car Accident in Lowell, AR
Lowell, AR -- July 21, 2020, a single-vehicle accident claimed the life of Marcus Trollinger, 46, of Springdale on Tuesday afternoon in Lowell, Arkansas.
The fatal crash happened at about 2:20 p.m. on Interstate 49 at North Exit 78. According to The Arkansas State Police's crash report, Trollinger traveled northbound in a 2016 GMC Yukon. He lost control of the vehicle, ran off the rights side of the road, then struck a bridge pillar.
Benton County Coroner pronounced Trollinger dead at the scene. Trooper Zenda Staab is the lead investigator.
ARKANSAS
Marcus Trollinger Killed in Accident at I-49 in Lowell, AR
DATE JULY 21, 2020
VICTIM'S NAME(S) MARCUS TROLLINGER
TYPE OF ACCIDENT CAR ACCIDENT
ALCOHOL/DRUGS SUSPECTED NO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
INVESTIGATING OFFICER OR AUTHORITY
Arkansas State Police
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Passenger Car
ROAD/HIGHWAY
I-49
INJURIES SUSTAINED
Fatal injuries
APPARENT/ALLEGED CAUSE OF ACCIDENT
Vehicle veered from the road and collided with a bridge pillar
WHAT HAPPENED
State Police are investigating a crash that killed a person at I-49 in Lowell, AR on July 21st, 2020. Officials say the incident happened around 2:20 p.m. A vehicle operated by 46-year-old Marcus Trollinger reportedly lost control and veered from the road before crashing into a bridge pillar. Trollinger was killed in the crash.
Springdale Driver Loses Life in I-49 Wreck
46-year-old Marcus Trollinger (Springdale, AR) was fatally injured in an accident that took place on Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
At approximately 2:20 p.m. Mr. Trollinger was traveling north on Interstate 49 when his vehicle (2016 GMC Yukon) left the roadway to the righthand side of the interstate near Exit 78. Mr. Trollinger's GMC vehicle struck a bridge pillar of the Monroe Avenue overpass.
Conditions were reportedly clear and dry.
Additional Details: Arkansas State Police Preliminary Fatal Accident Report
Accident Location: Interstate 49 (I-49) near Exit 78, Lowell, Arkansas, Benton County
Benton County Sheriff's Office drops embezzlement investigation into former fire marshal who died in I-49 crash
A former Benton County fire marshal was being investigated for allegedly embezzling money from three local fire departments. He died in a crash on I-49 in July.
LOWELL, Ark. - New information has been uncovered into the death of a former Benton County fire marshal who died on the day he was asked to answer questions about embezzlement.
Marc Trollinger died in a fiery crash in July 2020 after his vehicle hit a concrete barrier along I-49 near Lowell.
In a report released Monday (Dec. 28), the Benton County Sheriff's Office accuses former volunteer Fire Chief Marc Trollinger of stealing thousands of dollars from bank accounts of the three departments where he was chief, including the Hickory Creek Fire Department (FD), HWY 94 East FD and Pleasure Heights FD.
"Marc and I had been friends for quite a long time leading up to this, so it was quite the shock to discover," Hickory Creek Fire Department Chief Eric Smith told 5NEWS.
Trollinger resigned from the three departments in Feb. 2020.
In June, while doing a routine audit, Chief Smith says he discovered purchases on the Hickory Creek Fire Department's accounts from Zales, travel websites and other purchases that were not authorized.
"We operate on such a small budget, to begin with. And we have to work hard to manage our finances," Chief Eric Smith said. "And for someone who had been integral in finances so long out here knew how hard to have the money we had to do what we do. Like I said, shocked doesn't even touch the feeling that all the firefighters have had when we discovered this."
The Benton County Sheriff's Office started an investigation and asked to meet up with Trollinger. When he didn't show up, it was discovered that Trollinger had died in a car crash.
Trollinger was the only person who had access to the three fire department bank accounts. Since his death, the investigation into embezzlement has been closed.
"We've taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. We've gotten more layers of security on our financial transactions," Chief Eric Smith said. "We've gone to two signatures on every check, we have multiple people on the bank accounts now so that lots of people can look at that."
The exact amount of money stolen from the three department's bank accounts is still something they are working to figure out, but Chief Smith believes it was more than $50k.
It's unclear at the time if Trollinger embezzled any other funds from Benton County agencies.
"Benton County has been made aware of the potential fraudulent activities conducted by Mr. Trollinger prior to his resignation as Fire Marshall," Benton County Judge Barry Moehring said. "For the most part, these activities occurred within the volunteer departments that were overseen by Mr. Trollinger. To the extent that Benton County funds may have been involved, we have cooperated fully with Arkansas Legislative Audit and the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Until those reports are issued, we will not know if any county funds were involved in any fraudulent activities."
Trollinger had a 25-year career in fire service.
5newsonline.com
Author: Kathryn Gilker
Published: 7:02 PM CST December 28, 2020
|
1973 - 2020 (46 years)
