Officers concentrate on DUI enforcement this weekend in memory of Boy Scout killed by impaired driver

Boy Scout Clifton Braunwalder will be remembered all weekend when law enforcement officers focus on impaired drivers.

Clifton, 13, of Murfreesboro died when an impaired driver hit him while he changed a tire on the family car April 20, 2014 on Interstate 24 near Sam Ridley Parkway.

His story inspired law enforcement officers to memorialize him in April every year.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Rodgers said deputies, Murfreesboro and Smyrna Police officers and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers will concentrate on drinking and impaired drivers Sunday on the anniversary of his death.

“We want to keep the memory of Clifton alive and to draw attention to impaired driving and the tragedies that occur as a result,” Rodgers said.

Clifton’s father, Norbert, said he and his family appreciate the officers keeping Clifton’s memory alive by doing the saturation patrols.

“We are not against alcohol,” Braunwalder said. “If want to drink stay home or get a driver. There’s no sense in having a drink and having a good time and ending it by hitting someone or getting a DUI.”

Rodgers said Murfreesboro and Smyrna, THP and sheriff’s deputies, who are members of the Rutherford County Traffic Safety Task Force, will watch for drinking and drug-impaired drivers Sunday on U.S. Highway 41/70 in Murfreesboro and Smyrna. Troopers and deputies will also check for drunk and impaired drivers on Interstate 24 and Interstate 840.

Sheriff’s deputies will also work overtime from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday night and Saturday nights to enforce the DUI laws.