A beloved Ocean Springs teacher was killed in an early morning crash in Jackson County Wednesday.

Kennon Barton taught high school English at Ocean Springs High School, and also taught classes at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Just last month he was was given the Keesler Federal Credit Union’s Impact Educator Award.

Early Wednesday around 12:50 a.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to a fatal crash on Interstate 10 in Jackson County.

A 2022 Volvo Semi-Truck driven by 58-year-old David Poppe of Homosassa, FL, traveled west on
Interstate 10 when it collided with Barton’s 2022 Volkswagen passenger vehicle, also traveling west on Interstate 10.

Barton was pronounced dead at the scene.

This crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.