Dallas County Sheriff Deputy Killed in Crash Laid to Rest

Sgt. Kenneth Riggins died in an off-duty crash near Quinlan on Monday

Hundreds of people gathered Thursday to pay their last respects to a Dallas County deputy sheriff who died in an off-duty car crash.

Funeral services were held for Sgt. Kenneth D. Riggins at the Sunnyvale Baptist Church.

Riggins died in a crash Monday near Quinlan after the truck was a passenger in lost control and struck a tree.

Sheriff Lupe Valdez said Riggins was the last person she saw at the department before her shift ended that night.

"It doesn't ease the pain," she said. "The pain is still there. The neat thing is that he lived a good life. He died like he lived; he was helping and serving."

The 52-year-old sergeant served the Dallas County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. He most recently worked in the strategic planning section.

Riggins began his career as a detention service officer on Feb. 17, 1992. He became a deputy in 1997 and served the department in various capacities.

"He was a very well-respected man," Valdez said. "He was a quiet but productive individual."

Riggins is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

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