If you could ride along with a law enforcement officer image the stories you could tell. A retired state trooper is telling his story in a recently published book.
Retired Trooper Chuck Coats of Clayton recently published Highway Patrol Stories a collection of serious to humorous stories about his career.
Coats began work with the Durham Police Department in 1965 then spent four years doing security work in the US Air Force. In 1972 he joined the NC Highway Patrol. His first assignment was security at the Governor’s Mansion for Gov. Robert Walter “Bob” Scott.
In 1973, Coats transferred to Johnston County and spent the next 15 years patrolling the highways, stopping motorists, investigating accidents and meeting a lot of interesting people along the way.
“Sometime ago I was telling a funny story about the Highway Patrol. When I got through they told me you should write a book,” Coats told JoCoReport. “I would think of something that happened and write it down. I started a collected. Its remembering different things. In October 2018, I put it in book form.”
Highway Patrol Stories includes funny true stories, a life threatening event for a trooper, even details of when Coats was off duty with his family and he stopped an impaired driver. The book also details the events of when Trooper Buck Gardner was shot near Clayton in Jan. 1975. Readers will enjoy Coats comments on Percy Flowers, whether the Highway Patrol has a ticket quota, and what NOT to say when stopped by a law enforcement officer.
The book also has a special dedication to Trooper Kevin K. Conner who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 17, 2018, the day Highway Patrol Stories went to print.
Coats, who is now 75, is married to his wife, Gail. He has one son, Brian, and two stepchildren, Cam and Eric.
Coats will be holding a book signing this Saturday, September 14th from 1:00PM until 3:00PM at the Johnston County Heritage Center in Downtown Smithfield. The cost of the book including taxes is $20.
Highway Patrol Stories is also available at G.I. Joe’s on Clayton.
