A&E True Crime asked Live PD analyst and Live PD: Wanted host Tom Morris Jr. to look back over the past year and share his most memorable moments from Live PD. From an officer’s moving story after a talk with a drug-addicted veteran, to a pet squirrel named Deez Nuts, to a driver’s attempted pizza bribe, here are Morris’s top nine highlights from 2019.
1. Officer Darrell Ross of the Tulsa Police Department taking the time to sit and talk to a veteran with a drug problem. Afterward, Officer Ross became emotional, and spoke about his brother, also a vet, who got hooked on drugs and was later murdered. (Episode aired on November 15, 2019.)
2. Officer Brandon Dugas, with the Lafayette (Louisiana) Police Department, responding to an armed home invasion that turned out to be a low-budget movie shoot in progress. The cops rounded up the director and actors at gunpoint, but eventually sorted out the situation. (Episode aired on August 3, 2019.)
3. In Tulsa, after Officer Ross pulled over a vehicle for failing to have tags, the driver tried to bribe him with a pizza. “It’s got pepperoni and sausage,” said the driver. Officer Ross reminded the driver that not only is it the “dumbest thing he’s ever heard of,” but it’s also a felony. (Episode aired on September 28, 2019.)
4. Corporal Mark Laureano and Deputy Addy Perez of the Richland County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Department witnessed a hit and run during a traffic stop, and pursued the driver until they caught her. (Episode aired on October 4, 2019.)
5. The bears incidents in Missoula County, Montana are unforgettable! There were two events—that aired in the same episode—that stand out: A bear that menaced a homeowner, and subsequently forced Dep. Christine Hettman and a “Live PD” camera operator to take shelter in the caller’s home, and a bear in a tree outside a hospital. (Episode aired October 19, 2019.)
6. In Tulsa, Officer Ross found a group of men in a parking lot with a stolen car, a hammer and an axe—which had a loose handle, so he commented, “it would not pass on ‘Forged in Fire.'” One of the men was wearing a shark costume. (Episode aired on October 4, 2019.)
7. A young woman in Lawrence, Indiana was wearing a dragon onesie that was burned while she was trying to keep warm in a tent. A viewer later sent her a new one. (Episode aired on November 8, 2019.)
8. In one memorable Wanted segment, “Live PD” viewers were introduced to a squirrel named Deez Nuts, who was living with a fugitive in Alabama, and was allegedly fed a diet of meth to keep him aggressive. The fugitive was captured soon after the segment aired, but Deez Nuts was not with him. Authorities believe the squirrel is living with the fugitive’s friend until the two can be reunited. (Episode aired on June 21, 2019; Follow up segment aired on July 12, 2019.)
9. In Lawrence, Indiana, Matt Black, a self-proclaimed badass 61-year-old heavy metal rock star was launched to stardom by a neighbor’s noise complaint. (Episode aired on December 14, 2019.)
Related Features
Tom Morris’ Top ‘Live PD’ Moments from 2018
Tom Morris Jr. on the 5 Most Shocking Live PD Moments From 2017
Tom Morris Jr. on His Journey from ‘America’s Most Wanted’ to ‘Live PD’ and Beyond
Interview with Officer Darrell Ross on His Path to the Tulsa Police Department
