Clearwater Crossing Guard’s Memory Honored

CLEARWATER, FL — Tiny handprints crafted from colorful construction paper by students at Skycrest Elementary School stand testament to the impact Doug Carey had on so many lives. Now sitting at a memorial on the corner of Cleveland Street and Corona Avenue, the prints with handwritten messages were placed Friday to mark the third anniversary of the former police officer and popular school crossing guard’s death.

Carey, 70, was a Clearwater cop who became a crossing guard in his retirement years. He was struck and killed by a motorist while on duty, safeguarding children’s lives, on May 20, 2014.

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At the time of Carey’s death, police said a Cadillac ran a red light, causing a two-vehicle crash. The Cadillac hit a Honda and then struck Carey before its driver fled, leaving his two small children behind, police said.

The driver of that car, Julious Johnson, was ultimately charged in the crash. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a number of charges following the crash, including vehicular homicide.

Each year since Carey’s death, Clearwater police, students, crossing guards and others have paid tribute to his memory. The two-part remembrance begins with a stop at Cleveland Street and Corona Avenue where Carey helped hundreds of children cross safely through the years. The second is the intersection of Belcher Road and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard at the corner post Carey was working at when he died in 2014.

This year’s remembrance was held a day shy of the anniversary of Carey’s death. His widow, Jean, was present for Friday’s observance.

The Clearwater Police Department’s honor guard was also present for the memorial, “and we had a moment of silence on our radio as police officers, crossing guards and others paid their respects,” the agency explained on Facebook.

Carey was a city employee for 20 years prior to his death.

Johnson has been in the Pinellas County Jail since Oct. 28, 2016, when he was arrested on unrelated charges, jail records indicate. A pre-trial hearing is set to take place later this summer, according to county court records.

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Photos courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department