Those who knew Harris County Pct. 5 Deputy Katherine Hutson said she was a lot softer than her law enforcement title portrayed.
"(She was) funny and a bright light to everybody," Ashley Hill recalled. "She never met a stranger. She always knew how to talk to people."
Hill met Hutson and her children at a church in Waller when they joined 4-H about 10 years ago.
They grew closer because Hill's father works in the Harris County Pct. 4 Park's Department, where Hutson would patrol.
"She just became a close family friend, just that quick," Hill explained.
That's why she couldn't believe it when images surfaced Friday morning of what happened along the Katy Freeway.
"I remember my phone just dropping in the middle of class," Hill recalled. "I was so shocked."
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The Houston Police Department officers said Hutson was working off-duty as traffic control for a traffic improvement project. Investigators said an impaired driver struck the vehicle she was in.
Pct. 5 Constable Ted Heap said the suspected drunk driver, 23-year-old Omar Jose Alvarado, faces two intoxication manslaughter charges.
Alvarado hasn't faced a judge because officers say he remains in the hospital, but they aren't sure when he'll be released.
"That was a situation that could've been avoided had somebody taken the proper precautions before going out," Hill said.
Now, Hill is preparing to say goodbye to the little girl with whom she shared animals.
"I miss Casey's sassy attitude and her big heart and a smile that would just light up the room," Hill said. "(Deputy Hutson) was not somebody that you could roll over. She definitely had a sternness to her, but when it came to her son and daughter, she was tough on them, but she was kind and caring."
They were a mother-daughter duo that Hill said was inseparable.
"As terrible as the situation is, I'm just so glad they're together," Hill said. "Like I said, they were never apart."
Eyewitness News asked HPD if Alvarado had any previous arrests, including drinking and driving. They said he has no prior run-ins with the law that they're aware of.
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