Travis County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Was 'Gentle Giant' Bestowed With Honors

ROUND ROCK, TX — Craig Hutchinson — known as "Hutch" to his friends and co-workers — was a gentle giant, one of his colleagues said on Monday. The veteran Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy was killed earlier in the day by intruders at his home for which there is still a manhunt.

"Craig Hutchinson had one of those personalities you never forget," Kristen Dark, a Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said in a statement sent to Patch. "Known to his friends as 'Hutch,' he was often referred to as a gentle giant. That clearly referred to stature as well as character."

The sergeant radioed the base at 1:22 a.m. Monday morning to request backup from fellow officers after detecting "prowlers" in the backyard of his Round Rock home, according to a sheriff's office press advisory. Upon the arrival of the backup officers, Hutchinson was found near a creek behind his backyard with a gunshot wound, a fatal injury to which he would later succumb while hospitalized.

A towering presence, standing 6-foot-4 at 270 pounds, "Hutch" began his career at the Travis County Sheriff's Office in 1984 as a corrections officer, Dark said.

"In his distinguished career with our agency, he went on to serve as a patrol deputy, a senior deputy assigned to Criminal Investigations, a motor officer, a senior deputy assigned to the Training Academy as a training instructor, a detective and ultimately, a patrol sergeant," Dark said in her statement.

"During his time as a training instructor, he touched the lives and futures of many if not most of TCSO’s current deputies, corrections officers and civilian staff," Dark added. "His influence and expertise has and will continue to impact our agency and this county in a positive manner for years to come."

In the course of his career, he reaped accolades for his work in the form of several awards and letters of commendation, Dark said.

"He earned many awards and letters of commendation from supervisors and other law enforcement organizations as well as letters of appreciation from citizens of Travis County," she said.

In earlier comments, Sheriff Greg Hamilton also referenced the fallen officer's gentle attributes in spite of his looming presence: "This guy was a big teddy bear and everybody loved him,” Hamilton said. “He was a gentle bear, and he taught me everything I know, and I loved that guy to death.”

Hutchinson is survived by his wife, two children, three stepchildren, two grandchildren and his mother, Dark said. He was 54 years old.

>>> Photo courtesy of Travis County Sheriff's Office