Golf cart auction raises $58,000 for family of fallen Salt River officer
Jan 17, 2019, 7:15 PM | Updated: Jan 18, 2019, 8:56 am
(Russo and Steele Photo)
(Russo and Steele Photo)
PHOENIX – The charity auction of a custom golf cart Thursday ended with two buyers and $58,000 to benefit the family of fallen Salt River Police Officer Clayton Townsend.
It wasn’t just any golf cart on the block at the Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. It was a 1994 Club Car DS Golf Cart customized with a 1957 Chevrolet body style.
The unique vehicle was donated by Rodger Comstock, a former police officer who wanted to help the family of Townsend, who was struck and killed by a car while conducting a traffic stop on the Loop 101 on Jan. 8.
Several bidders were involved, and the auction initially closed with a winning bid of $30,000, according to a Russo and Steele press release.
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In a surprise twist, the winner donated the cart right back to the auction so more money could be raised.
It went for $28,000 the second time, pushing the total to $58,000 raised in under 20 minutes.
More than a dozen members of Townsend’s family were in attendance.
“It was incredible to witness,” Drew Alcazar, the auction’s president and CEO, said in the release. “We have waived all fees and commission. Those checks will be written straight to the Townsend family.”
The Russo and Steele auction continues through Sunday.
