Cottonwood Police Cmdr. Jody Makuch was killed in an off-duty motorcycle crash Sept. 7.
At 2:39 p.m., 41-year-old Jason Howard Engel, of Camp Verde, was driving a sport utility vehicle southbound on State Route 89A at Willard Street, within city of Cottonwood limits.
Engel allegedly drove the SUV left of center and struck a motorcyclist, later identified as 49-year-old Jody Michael Makuch, head-on within the northbound traffic lanes of State Route 89A.
Makuch was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is conducting the collision and criminal investigation at the request of the Cottonwood Police Department.
State troopers booked Engel into the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde on the charge of manslaughter. Additional felony and misdemeanor charges, including criminal damage and endangerment, are pending. Impairment is suspected, DPS states.
“It is with great sadness the Cottonwood Police Department learned early yesterday afternoon that Commander Jody Makuch was involved in an off-duty fatal vehicle vs. motorcycle collision, which led to his death,” Sgt. Monica Kuhlt stated in a press release Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Makuch began his career in law enforcement in 1998 as an officer with Elk City Police Department in Oklahoma. Makuch moved to Arizona and has been with the Cottonwood Police Department since January 2000. He was promoted to commander in November 2009.
“Jody Makuch represented the best in humanity,” Cottonwood Police Chief Steve Gesell said. “He was first and foremost a loving and dedicated husband and father. His family was everything to him. He was a veteran, selfless public servant, mentor and friend. He will be greatly missed. We ask that the public keep his family in their thoughts and prayers during this tragic and difficult time, and respect their privacy.”
Makuch was assigned to the Support Services Division, which meant he handled the offices in the department that were not covered by the patrol division, including investigations, professional standards, communications, records, victim assistance, volunteers, Mobile Command Unit and Citizen Police Academy.
Before commanding the support division starting in 2018, Makuch had previously led the patrol division, meaning that he had worked with nearly every officer in the department. Makuch’s colleagues remember him as a personable leader who was always very prepared on work matters but was nevertheless friendly and approachable during downtime.
“He interacted with everyone within the police department, which is what made it such a tough loss,” said Cmdr. Gareth Braxton-Johnson, who was Makuch’s compatriot as commander of the Patrol Division. “He was a calming influence and a bedrock of the police department, having been here so long. As a person he was very personable. He got along with everyone.”
Braxton-Johnson noted that whereas many officers can often find their lives swallowed up by the job, Makuch was known for always being able to put his family first and also finding time for leisure and riding his bike. He was also a devout husband and father to his wife, Joanna, their two adult daughters, Ashleigh and Gabrielle, and two sons, 13-year-old Hudson and 12- year-old Spencer.
“The hard part is that it’s unexpected,” Braxton- Johnson said. “Knowing Jody and his preparation, his attention to detail in the way he did everything — he let nothing untouched. He was a very cautious rider. He wore the protective gear. To have that type of person with that attention to detail, to have someone as cautious and aware as he was was — it was just a shock.”
Makuch was a graduate of the 245th session of the FBI National Academy. He worked various duties, including corrections, patrol, field training officer, SWAT and field training supervisor.
Makuch served for seven-and-a-half years in the U.S. Army prior to his law enforcement career. His various job specialties while serving in the Army included artillery, corrections and military police.
Local law enforcement and fire agencies escorted Makuch’s remains to the Yavapai Medical Examiner’s Office, where members remained with him until he was transferred to the funeral home. This is known as a Hero Watch.
Makuch’s funeral service will be held Friday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m., the CPD announced in a press release. The service will be held at Verde Community Church at 102 S. Willard Street in Cottonwood.
“The services are open to the public. Precautions will be taken for social distancing but we also request you wear a mask. Cottonwood PD is working on live streaming the funeral for those who cannot make it or may have a compromised immune system. We will provide updates as the date approaches,” the release stated.
Many have reached out to the Cottonwood Police Department with the desire to donate to the Makuch family. You can do so through Law Enforcement Heroes at lawenforcementheroes.com
“You don’t just replace that institutional knowledge, that wisdom, that friendship overnight,” Braxton- Johnson said. “It’s someone that we’ll miss for years to come.”
