Rabun County Detention Officer Courtney Zajdowicz of Mountain City has returned home for the last time. Her colleagues escorted her body back to Rabun County this afternoon from the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta.
Public safety personnel from other agencies blocked intersections and raised flags in her honor as the motorcade passed through Northeast Georgia.
Drivers stopped their cars and stood along U.S. 441/GA 15 to pay their respects as the escort made its way into Clayton.
A suspected drunk driver killed the 26-year-old law enforcement officer in a wreck while she was on her way to work on September 1. The Georgia State Patrol charged 41-year-old Jaime Avila-Reyes of Clayton with DUI and first-degree vehicular homicide.
MORE: Driver charged with DUI in crash that killed Rabun County jailer
In an emotional tribute to the young officer on Facebook, Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols says he struggled to find words to describe the moment. He says there are “no perfect words” and calls Zajdowicz’s death “a tragic situation that should have never occurred.”
“Courtney was a super friendly person with an incredible personality! Her smile was contagious, and she would always bring laughter to everyone around her,” Nichols writes. “She was a beautiful person with a heart as big as her personality and her smile.”
Officer Zajdowicz served with the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office for nearly two years. Before that, she worked at Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto. The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office lowered its flags to half-staff in her memory and the sheriff’s office says it will retire her badge number 537.
“The next few days will be difficult for many, and our hearts will be heavy,” adds Nichols. “We ask that you keep her family and her family of blue in your thoughts and prayers.”
Zajdowicz’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, September 11, in Clayton. Her family asks that instead of flowers, people make donations in Courtney’s memory to help local law enforcement.
