SOUTH DAKOTA LAW ENFORCEMENT DEATHS  

City Marshal John Tyler Pierce - Mitchell Marshal's Office:  Wednesday, April 9, 1884  Pierce, whose term of duty was set to expire that day, was shot and killed by trying to arrest Henry Lewis.  At about 3:00 a.m. Pierce was among a posse of lawmen who had been dispatched to the Parlor Saloon to arrest Lewis, a rouge saloon owner and reputed operator of a “house of ill fame”.  Lewis had refused to comply with a town watchman’s order to close his bar which was open past the hours allowed by city ordinance.  Pierce entered the establishment and asked, “What’s the matter, Henry?”  Lewis dashed behind the bar and fired a bullet into Pierce’s head.  Lewis was arrested a short time later; however, in a trial in Plankinton on a change of venue, he was acquitted.  (The Mitchell Capital)   

Town Marshal Billy Wilson - Rapid City Police Department:  Friday, November 6, 1885   Rapid City had an ordinance prohibiting the carrying of any weapon inside the city limits.  When Marshal Billy Wilson attempted to disarm three cowboys inside the Horse Market saloon, shooting erupted, leaving Wilson dead and one of the men wounded.  At the subsequent trial, which lasted four days, the cowboys were acquitted, as most of the testimony had related that the sheriff had fired first and the return fire was merely in self-defense.  

Policeman Clifford A. Hawley - Huron Police Department: Tuesday, September 7, 1909   While on patrol at 11:00 p.m. Officer Hawley attempted to break up a fight between two “hobos”. One of the men, described as an intoxicated sewer employee, shot the officer in the head.  The offender and a friend fled the scene to the railway station and escaped.  Despite a posse being formed, the murderer was never found.  (Daily Huronite)

Policeman Daniel Passage - Andover Police Department: Saturday, July 29, 1916  Officer Passage was shot twice at about midnight while trying to intervene during a holdup at the depot.  When he went to arrest the men described as “hobos” he was shot in the abdomen. The two men who were involved in the robbery fled the scene and were not found.  Officer Passage was 66-years-old.     

Patrolman James Hawkes - Rapid City Police Department: Thursday, December 28, 1916  Officer Hawkes, a fifty-four-year-old 3½ year veteran of the Department was shot at about 1:00 a.m. by Endsley Spiking when he went to arrest him for making a disturbance at the Garlick Hotel.  While no one seemed to understand what provoked him, earlier in the night, Spiking had been to the landlord’s apartment and asked for a gun.  Even though the landlord didn’t give him a gun, Spiking somehow came up with a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver and shot Officer Hawkes three times.  The officer died of chest wounds after Spiking snuck up behind him and shot him as he entered the hotel.  Spiking was arrested by local law enforcement.  (Rapid City Journal – December 29, 1916)  

Patrolman Joseph Daly - Aberdeen Police Department: Saturday, August 16, 1919   Daly and two other officers were responding to an assault call when they "commandeered" a private vehicle.  Following the call, the owner of the vehicle was giving them a ride back to their original location when he struck a parked vehicle.  Daly, who was riding on the running board, was thrown from the vehicle and killed.  (Al Aden)  

Night Watchman Clarence F. Berry - Leola Police Department: Monday, December 12, 1921    Following a series of robberies and burglaries, C. F. Berry, age 37, was appointed to patrol the community.  The officer approached Stanley Mathis and his wife outside the Lutheran church (Mr. Mathis was wearing women’s clothing while Mrs. Mathis was in men’s attire.)  Mathis shouted, “I got you” and fired twice with a .25 caliber handgun striking Officer Berry in the lower abdomen.  The officer returned fire and struck Mathis in the knee.   Mathis was found at a relative’s house where he was arrested and, following Officer Berry’s death, was charged and convicted of murder in June of 1922.  (McPherson County Herald – December 1921 and June 15, 1922)  

Captain Edward Pike - Sioux Falls Police Department: Saturday, September 23, 1922  Night Captain Pike was shot to death as the climax to an investigation by police and state officials into robberies of the Tuthill hardware store at Ellis, the bank of Willow Lake and the theft of $60,000 in jewelry from the Milwaukee railroad depot.  Pike and motorcycle policeman Russell Bernau went to 715 South Fourth Avenue just after 10:00 p.m. , having been tipped that a car would show up there before midnight and that the occupants would be bringing part of the loot obtained at the depot.  Arriving at their destination, the two officers hid themselves behind the woodshed in the rear of the lot.  They had waited only a few minutes when an Oakland car drove up the alley and stopped a few feet from the shed.  The man in the car took a flashlight from his pocket and started flashing its light around the house; as the light traveled over the backyard, it threw Pikes’ form into full view at the corner of the woodshed.  Just as the light struck him, Pike opened fire and then Bernau and the presumed criminal opened fire.  At the first shots, Pike fell with three bullets in his body.  The man in the car, his gun emptied, fled.  Bernau went to the assistance of the wounded captain rather than undertaking pursuit.  Pike was taken to McKennan hospital, where he died a few hours later.  (LE:  Dakota)  

Sheriff Ike Fulker - Brown County Sheriff's Department: Sunday, July 1, 1923  Sheriff Fulker was shot and killed by a prisoner on the Great Northern Railroad near Moorhead , Minnesota , while returning to Aberdeen . The suspect had escaped from the Aberdeen jail and was being returned to the jail after being arrested. The suspect was restrained in leg and hand irons and was sitting opposite Sheriff Fulker. He motioned to the sheriff that he wanted to whisper something, and when the sheriff leaned forward the suspect grabbed the gun out of his holster and shot Sheriff Fulker to death. 

The suspect then ordered another passenger to unlock the handcuffs and leg manacles. The suspect then jumped from the moving train. The suspect was shot and killed by detectives in St. Paul , Minnesota , on August 17, 1923 .  (ODMP)  

Sheriff Fulker was transporting Edwin Rust (alias B. James) to Aberdeen when the prisoner took Fulker’s guns, shot him and escaped.  Rust was located on August 17, 1923 and killed by police officers during their attempt to take him into custody at St. Paul , MN .  (Sam Clark)  

Sheriff Hugh Lee McNamara - Hyde County Sheriff's Office: Friday, April 30, 1926  Sheriff McNamara was attempting to place a Hyde County farmer under arrest when the accused shot Sheriff McNamara with a shotgun.  (Sam Clark)  

Deputy Sheriff James J. Boney - Brule County Sheriff's Department: Monday, September 6, 1926  Deputy Boney was shot and killed while searching for a robbery suspect. The suspect had robbed and kidnapped a person who had offered him a ride. Another passerby found the victim, who was tied up, and freed him before calling the sheriff's department. 

Deputy Boney located the victim's car and as he searched for the suspect nearby he was shot several times and killed. A posse was formed and located the suspect near the Missouri River . The man was killed in a shootout with the posse.  (ODMP)  

Steve W. Hedge (alias Jack Martin) had committed a robbery of a couple who had given him a ride.  Deputy Boney locate him hidden in the willows along the Missouri River .  Hedge shot Boney five times killing him.  He was sentenced to life in the State Penitentiary and died there about seven years later. (Sam Clark)  

Town Marshal Jack O'Leary - Rapid City Police Department: Saturday, November 6, 1926   The 78-year-old John H. Leary died of a head injury he sustained when he was struck by a car driven by Eugene Deeg in front of the fire station on November 3.  “Hooky Jack”, as he was known by the community because he had lost both hands, an eye and his hearing in a mining accident fifty years before, had been employed as the Night Watchman for forty-one years. (Rapid City Journal – November 6 and November 9, 1926)  

Special Agent Charles Bintliff - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives: Friday, May 13, 1927  Agent Bintliff was shot and killed near Redfield, South Dakota, as he and a state officer investigated reports that a man was a bootlegger. The suspect murdered both officers before fleeing. He committed suicide after a posse of 400 men surrounded him. (ODMP)  

An officer had attempted to arrest Walter Chrisman on a prohibition charge. Chrisman wounded the officer, fled and was found hiding in a barn near Redfield. Federal Agents Halpin and Bintliff entered the barn and Chrisman shot them both, killing them.  He than fled, went to a straw stack where he shot himself.  (Sam Clark)  

U.S. Revenue Agent, Charles A. Halpin – South Dakota State Deputy Sheriff ( Redfield SD ):   Friday, May 13, 1927   An officer had attempted to arrest Walter Chrisman on a prohibition charge. Chrisman wounded the officer, fled and was found hiding in a barn near Redfield. Federal Agents Halpin and Bintliff entered the barn and Chrisman shot them both, killing them.  He than fled, went to a straw stack where he shot himself.  (Sam Clark)  

Halpin is referred to as Deputy State Sheriff, indicates "he was State Deputy Sheriff 4 mos. prior to death and that his office is in and around Brown County Sheriff's Dept." ( Sioux Falls Argus Leader)  

Special Agent Oscar C. Hanson - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (Federal Prohibition Agent): Wednesday, March 28, 1928  Agent Hanson, traveling with Deputy Marshal Flanery was killed when the two men were traveling to serve warrants and return prisoners to Mitchell when their car was struck by passenger train. Both men were killed instantly.  The accident occurred one mile east of Humboldt shortly before noon .  (Sam Clark)  

Deputy Marshal E. F. Flanery - Marshals Service: Wednesday, March 28, 1928  Deputy Marshal Flanery, traveling with Agent Hanson, was killed when the two men were traveling to serve warrants and return prisoners to Mitchell when their car was struck by passenger train. Both men were killed instantly.  The accident occurred one mile east of Humboldt shortly before noon .  (Sam Clark)  

Sheriff Clarendon D. Miller - Brule County Sheriff's Department: Sunday, September 6, 1931  Sheriff Miller was killed while trying to stop a gang fight at a barn dance in the county.  Evidence was given at the coroner’s inquest indicated that the sheriff may have been killed with his own nightstick. (LE:  Dakota)  

Sheriff Miller tried to break up a gang fight at a barn dance near Pukwana , SD.   Someone hit him on the head, causing his death.  Vern West was arrested and tried on the charge but, a jury gave the verdict of Not Guilty, so he was released.  (Sam Clark)  

Policeman Arthur Christian Back - DeSmet Police Department: Tuesday, September 13, 1932  Art Back, night watchman, was killed on September 11 when he surprised individuals breaking and entering into a Standard Bulk Oil Station. (Sam Clark)  

Marshal George Shocker - Emery Marshal's Office: Tuesday, September 24, 1935  Mr. Shocker was making his rounds, during the evening.  As he entered the Emery Fire House he was shot three times.  It was believed that four subjects may have been involved; but, they were never apprehended. (Sam Clark)  

Captain George A. Saville - Sioux Falls Police Department: Sunday, October 6, 1935   “Dick” Saville met his death on a Sunday afternoon in the rear seat of a police patrol vehicle after fighting a bitter rough-and-tumble battle with three persons who had been seized on charges of drunken driving.  Saville and Walter J. Dean, a police plainclothesman, ran the car containing the trio into the curb on Minnesota Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets, and then battled viciously for ten minutes before the trio could be loaded into the police machine.  Enroute back to the police station, Saville, a burly officer with long experience, struggled to subdue two of the men in the back seat; the third man had been knocked unconscious by the police club and dumped in the front seat with Dean.  Dean, at the while of the police vehicle, raced for the station but when the car came to a stop, Saville was dead; either from choking, a blow on the head or a heart attack, it was not immediately certain.  Saville had previously served as sheriff of Aurora County and as assistant deputy warden at the state penitentiary. (LE:  Dakota)  

Warden Eugene Reilly - South Dakota Department of Corrections: Friday, March 6, 1936  Warden Reilly was shot and killed after being taken hostage during a prison escape from the South Dakota State Prison in Sioux Falls . An inmate's brother smuggled two guns into the prison and broke the brother and another inmate out. Before fleeing the prison the suspects raided the armory, stole several guns and took Warden Reilly hostage. They were intercepted by other officers several miles from the prison and in the exchange of gunfire one of the inmates and Warden Reilly were killed. A second inmate and a police officer were also wounded. Warden Reilly was survived by his wife and four children.  (ODMP)  

Officer Milan Miller - Lead Police Department: Tuesday, November 22, 1938  Officer Miller was shot and killed by a man he had encountered one year earlier. Officer Miller had entered a bar and approximately 20 minutes later the suspect entered as well and asked to speak to Officer Miller. Officer Miller recognized him as a man he had kicked out of the town before. When the two went outside the suspect opened fire, striking Officer Miller seven times. The man was apprehended and sentenced to 15 years. (ODMP)  

Policeman Miller had arrested Charles Fowler in January of 1938 and in the process had beaten him quite severely.  Fowler retuned to Lead, and just after Miller had gone on duty about 1:00 a.m. on November 22, 1938 Fowler shot him seven times as revenge.  Fowler was arrested for murder which was changed to First Degree manslaughter and received 15 years in the State Penitentiary.  

Sheriff Ole Alexander Solberg - Brown County Sheriff's Department: Saturday, February 25, 1939  Sheriff Solberg died from head injuries suffered in an automobile accident on January 23 when he lost control on an icy road near Arlington, South Dakota while returning from taking a prisoner to the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.  Sheriff Solberg had taken office on January 3.  Following his death, Sheriff’s Solberg’s wife was appointed to fill his term.  ( Aberdeen Evening News)  

Marshal Alf A. Amundsen - Alcester Police Department: Tuesday, September 10, 1940  Marshal Amundsen had been employed as city marshal for four years when he sustained some type of “duty-related injury” on September 2.  He died in the hospital of a blood clot in the brain a week later. (Alcester Union – September 12, 1940)  

Sheriff Melbourne Lewis - Grant County Sheriff's Department: Wednesday, July 30, 1941  Sheriff Lewis investigated a report that Clifford Haas was seen on the streets of Milbank carrying a .22 rifle.  Haas hid in an old shed and when Sheriff Lewis approached, he was shot and killed instantly.  Haas was sentenced to death for murder on August 9, 1942 ; but, this was changed to life in prison on December 7, 1943 .  (Sam Clark)  

Patrolman Bernard Benson - South Dakota Highway Patrol: Wednesday, September 17, 1941  Patrolman Benson was killed in an automobile accident while responding to an accident near Sioux Falls . His training officer was driving when their patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle. Patrolman Benson had been with the agency for only 18 days. (ODMP)  

Patrolman Alva H. Burnett - Pierre Police Department: Monday, June 12, 1944  Patrolman Burnett was shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance for the second time in the same night. Prior to the second call, the suspect had doused his wife with gasoline and lit her on fire. Patrolman Burnett was attempting to talk to the suspect, who was standing in the doorway to the home, when the man suddenly raised his 410 gauge shotgun and shot Patrolman Burnett. The suspect was also killed at the scene. (ODMP)  

When officers were attempting to apprehend Ralph Putnam, after he had killed his wife by throwing gasoline on her and setting her afire, Policeman Burnett and Putnam exchanged gun shots, leaving Burnett dead and Putnam wounded.  Putnam then committed suicide by turning the gun on himself. (Sam Clark)  

Sheriff Dave Malcolm - Butte County Sheriff's Department: Thursday, January 24, 1946  Sheriff Malcolm and Agent Thomas Matthews, of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, were shot and killed while conducting a roadblock near the town of Spearfish . The officers were shot by an escaped murderer from Minnesota . The suspect was apprehended and executed in the electric chair in 1947. (ODMP)  

George Sitts was electrocuted at Sioux Falls on April 8, 1947 for the January 24, 1946 murders of state criminal agent Thomas Matthews and Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm near Spearfish. (SDDOC)  

George Sidney Sitts was being held in Minnesota on a murder charge when he escaped.  During the manhunt, he was stopped by Sheriff Malcolm and DCI Agent Tom Mathews at a junction north of Spearfish.  He grabbed a gun, killed the officers, and escaped.  Sitts was apprehended and sentenced to death for murder.  (Sam Clark)  

Agent Thomas Matthews - South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation: Thursday, January 24, 1946  Agent Matthews and Sheriff Dave Malcolm, of the Butte County Sheriff's Department, were shot and killed while conducting a roadblock near the town of Spearfish. The officers were shot by an escaped murderer from Minnesota . The suspect was apprehended and executed in the electric chair in 1947. (ODMP)  

George Sitts was electrocuted at Sioux Falls on April 8, 1947 for the January 24, 1946 murders of state criminal agent Thomas Matthews and Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm near Spearfish. (SDDOC)  

George Sidney Sitts was being held in Minnesota on a murder charge when he escaped.  During the manhunt, he was stopped by Agent Mathews and Sheriff Dave Malcolm at a junction north of Spearfish.  He grabbed a gun, killed the officers, and escaped.  Sitts was apprehended and sentenced to death for murder.  George Sidney Sitts was being held in Minnesota on a murder charge when he escaped.  During the manhunt, he was stopped by Sheriff Malcolm and DCI Agent Tom Mathews at a junction north of Spearfish.  He grabbed a gun, killed the officers, and escaped.  Sitts was apprehended and sentenced to death for murder.  (Sam Clark)  

Policeman Clyde Rogers - White Lake Police Department: Tuesday, February 3, 1948  Policeman Rogers surprised a subject or subjects in the act of an attempted burglary.  He was hit on the head with a weapon believed to be a tire iron and subsequently died.  (Sam Clark)  

Correction Officer Edward Jaworski - South Dakota Department of Corrections: Thursday, September 6, 1951  Martin Merkle was serving a life sentence for murder at the State Penitentiary for killing his sister-in-law.  While serving his sentence he killed Officer Jaworski with a baseball bat. (Sam Clark)  

Police Officer Albert August Hubsch - Webster Police Department: Sunday, December 5, 1954  The 71-year-old Officer Hubsch died of injuries suffered after being struck by an automobile while crossing the street near the city hall corner at about 10:45 p.m. on November 21.  (Webster Reporter and Farmer)  

Patrolman Elmer B. Simons - Rapid City Police Department: Saturday, April 2, 1955  Patrolman Simons died of a cardiac arrest after being involved in hand-to-hand fisticuffs in a local tavern in Rapid City.  (Sam Clark)  

Trooper Henry N. Russell - South Dakota Highway Patrol: Wednesday, November 19, 1958  Trooper Russell was killed in an automobile accident while returning to his duty station after participating in a manhunt. Trooper Russell's badge number was removed from service after his death. Trooper Russell had been with the agency for ten years. (ODMP)  

Patrolman Russell began his career on the Highway Patrol April 1, 1948 .  He died November 19, 1958 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Patrolman Russell had been on duty for a long period of time participating in a manhunt.  While enroute to his duty station, he fell asleep at the wheel of a patrol car.  A plaque given in his honor reads, "He shall long be remembered for his high ideals, his courage and resourcefulness, but more than this, for his complete devotion to duty and the law enforcement profession.  Because of his zeal for honor and justice for all, for his paying the supreme sacrifice, badge number 11 will be withdrawn from service and be honored by law enforcement forever." (SDHPM)  

“Brownie” Russell died in a car-pickup crash about four miles north of Belle Fourche while returning home in the early morning for an all-night manhunt in Harding County .  Russell’s car crossed over to the wrong side of Highway 85 and smashed into a county highway department pickup truck, demolishing both vehicles.  Authorities believe that Russell went to sleep at the wheel after an all night search with other officers for a car theft suspect; he died shortly after the crash.    

Several patrolmen, including Russell, had driven to Camp Crook about ten o’clock the night before, looking for a suspect in a car theft.  The officers had worked all day Tuesday and the search lasted all that night.  The suspect successfully eluded the officers as he walked nearly twenty miles on foot toward Belle Fourche , though the lawmen used an airplane, saddle horses and cars in the hunt.  The suspect was finally arrested hiding in a haystack twenty miles north of Belle Fourche .  (LE:  Dakota)  

Patrolman Russell had worked without sleep during a road block and manhunt for Kenneth Fuler and John Kinkaid.  When returning home he was killed in a car accident that was blamed on fatigue.  (Sam Clark)  

Police Officer William J. Stender - Miller Police Department: Wednesday, May 15, 1963  Officer Stender was killed in a traffic accident in Miller while responding to a call.  (Darin Johnson)  

Officer Stender had been a part-time officer since March when we was killed while riding as a passenger in a patrol car.  The accident occurred at about 10:15 p.m. on East 3rd Street and East 3rd Avenue .  The other vehicle contained seven young people; one of who suffered serious injuries.  Officer Stender was 67-years-old.  (Miller Press)  

Game Warden George B. Driscoll - South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks: Sunday, April 26, 1964  Game Warden Driscoll died test netting on Orman Dam with a Fisheries Technician.  After bringing their boat into shore a strong wind pushed it back out.  When Game Warden Driscoll went to retrieve the boat he got into deep water and drowned.  The technician’s attempts to rescue Game Warden Driscoll were to no avail.  (South Dakota Conservation Officer’s Association)  

Deputy Chief of Police Virgil Laurence Deyo - Huron Police Department: Tuesday, November 29, 1966  Chief Dep. Deyo was fatally shot on November 29, 1966 while attempting to apprehend a subject. (APHF)  

Virgil Deyo, deputy chief of police at Huron, died November 29, 1966 , after being shot in the abdomen by former Huron resident, John Gardner, who was attempting elude a posse of law officers.  Deyo was off duty at the time the posse was formed but volunteered to go along because he knew the man who was being hunted and thought he would be able to talk to him.  When law enforcement officers approached the car, Gardner drove off hurriedly, but officers fired at the car and punctured a tire.  At this point the escapee jumped from the car and ran to a nearby creek bed.  Deyo and three other officers were searching through the underbrush when the suspect opened fire wounding Deyo; Deyo’s associates returned fire, killing Gardner instantly.  Deyo died in the hospital two days later. (LE:  Dakota)  

Patrol Officer Daniel E. Wickard - Rapid City Police Department: Friday, June 9, 1972  Officer Wickard drowned when his patrol car was washed away while he tried to warn people of an impending severe flood. 237 other people were killed as a result of the flood. (ODMP)  

Reserve Officer Wickard died while on a rescue mission during the Rapid City flood in the Jackson Park area of Rapid City . (Sam Clark)

Police Officer James Thomas Sawyer - Custer Police Department: Tuesday, June 13, 1972  Officer Sawyer was shot and killed by a burglar(s) sometime after 4:00 a.m. while patrolling the business district.   Officer Sawyer discovered the Gold Pan Saloon was being burglarized.  Some kind of pursuit led to the Big Rock Mountain on the south side of town where it appears the officer was ambushed and shot at least twice.  Officer Sawyer was 26-years-old and had been on the job for two years.  (Custer Weekly)  

Special Agent Jack R. Coler - Federal Bureau of Investigation: Thursday, June 26, 1975  Special Agent Coler and Special Agent Ronald Williams were shot and killed at the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge , South Dakota . The agents were attempted to serve a warrant for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Only one of the four suspects charged with their murders was convicted. Agent Coler had been with the agency for four years (ODMP)  

Special Agent Ronald A. Williams - Federal Bureau of Investigation: Thursday, June 26, 1975   Special Agent Williams and Special Agent Jack Coler were shot and killed at the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge , South Dakota . The agents were attempted to serve a warrant for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Only one of the four suspects charged with their murders was convicted.  Agent Williams had been with the agency for three years. (ODMP)  

Trooper Verlyn Lamonte Mettler - South Dakota Highway Patrol: Tuesday, March 9, 1976  Trooper Mettler was shot and killed in his front yard by a suspect he had arrested on an earlier date. Trooper Mettler had been with agency for six years.  (ODMP)

Trooper Mettler was hired April 26, 1963 and was killed in the line of duty March 9, 1976 .  Trooper Mettler was shot in his front yard by a man he had arrested on an earlier date.  His honor plaque reads, "For those of us so honored, it has been uplifting and humbling to be associated with him.  The right of thought was his wish, the freedom on conscience his goal, and the guarantee of equal rights to all people, everywhere, his contention.  He met the heartaches or the happiness of each day with courage, calmness, and capacity.  His fine contribution to life, his dedication to law enforcement was always professional."  (SDHPM)  

A reported threat on Governor Richard Kneip’s life is thought to have been indirectly involved in the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mettler and the ultimate suicide of George T. Hickey.  Mettler and the rest of the Patrol, were on a heightened alert and Hickey, who had arrests for driving while intoxicated and driving under revocation, had had several run-ins with each other.  A patrolman, who was monitoring the roads into Pierre , saw a station wagon with Oregon plates approaching Pierre on Highway 34 from the east.  When the trooper turned his vehicle around he noticed that the passenger and driver had switched places.  The trooper stopped the car and found that Hickey had no driver’s license and charged him with that offense.  Hickey posted a $25 bond and was released, whereupon he evidently went right back to Oacoma and began looking for Mettler.  He confronted Mettler in front of Mettler’s house in Chamberlain and shot him before he could reach the .22 caliber pistol he had in his pickup.  (LE:  Dakota)  

Trooper Mettler was killed by an offender who had threatened to kill him on previous occasions.  The offender had been arrested by Mettler recently for DWI. (Sam Clark)  

Chief of Police William Bearshield - Gregory Police Department: Monday, July 26, 1976  Chief Bearshield (age 42) was stabbed to death on July 26, 1976 .  (APHF)

Officer Bearshield had been on vacation.  The offender had harassed Officer Bearshield and when Officer Bearshield confronted him, the offender stabbed Officer Bearshield.  (Sam Clark)  

Conservation Officer Ronald L. Brandt - South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks: Thursday, December 20, 1979  Officer Brandt was killed in an automobile accident when his vehicle struck a tractor trailer head-on. A vehicle driving in front of Officer Brandt struck a truck and Officer Brandt braked to avoid the accident. His vehicle slid into oncoming traffic and struck the second truck.  (ODMP)  

Trooper Steven Eric Hoffman - South Dakota Highway Patrol: Wednesday, March 12, 1980  Trooper Hoffman was struck and killed by a truck during a traffic stop near Freeman , South Dakota . He had served with the South Dakota Highway Patrol for two years. (ODMP)  

Trooper Hoffman's years of service were from October 1, 1978 to March 12, 1980 .   Trooper Hoffman died from his injuries after being struck by a truck during a routine traffic stop north of Freeman , South Dakota .  Trooper Hoffman will be remembered for his commitment to service and his helping ways. (SDHPM)  

Trooper Hoffman had a vehicle stopped when another vehicle hit his patrol car from behind; striking and killing Trooper Hoffman. (Sam Clark)  

Sergeant Thomas Lloyd Callies - Huron Police Department: Tuesday, March 30, 1982  Huron Sgt. Tom Callies and Patrolman Andy Larson responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic disturbance. Neither were wearing vests...at that time vests were heavy and less effective. They had arrested Steven Bittner on similar complaints in the past, but had not had serious problems in getting him arrested.  

Before their arrival at the home, the caller, Janice Palmer, left the home and went next door. Thus when the officers arrived, no one answered the door. They proceeded into the house. Bittner was hiding at the landing of the stairway going to the upper floor. As Callies climbed up to the landing, Bittner jumped out with a hunting knife and stabbed Callies once through the liver, causing Callies to fall back down the stairs. Bittner then stabbed Larson once in the lungs and again in the arm, opening Larson's arm from elbow to shoulder and down to the bone. Both officers fell down the stairs firing shots, and retreated from the house. Callies collapsed outside the house, and despite massive blood transfusions and trauma surgery, he died.  Larson recovered and stayed in law enforcement for some years. Bittner is doing life in prison. (Mark Barnett)  

Sheriff Matthew Victor Schofield - Haakon County Sheriff's Department: Thursday, March 21, 1985  Sheriff Schofield was killed in an on duty automobile accident on March 11, 1985 . (APHF)  

Trooper Oren Stuart Hindman - South Dakota Highway Patrol: Thursday, May 2, 1985  Trooper Hindman was stabbed to death by a suspect he had placed in his patrol car. Trooper Hindman had stopped the suspect for DUI when he saw the man driving in the wrong lane. Trooper Hindman had served with the South Dakota Highway Patrol for 6.5 years. (ODMP)  

Trooper Hindman served from October 1, 1978 to May 2, 1985 .  Trooper Hindman was fatally wounded by a passenger in his patrol car.  Trooper Hindman's plaque reads, "He shall long be remembered for his integrity, his courage, and for his dedication in serving the State of South Dakota ."  Trooper Hindman is remembered by his many friends in Sturgis and by his "partners" on the Highway Patrol.  (SDHPM)  

Patrolman Leslie P. Hollers - Rapid City Police Department: Monday, September 16, 1985  Patrolman Hollers was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while at a call of a dead dog in the road. Patrolman Hollers had positioned his patrol car in the center lane, angled towards the oncoming traffic. The female driver of an approaching vehicle did not see the patrol car and kept coming. The driver struck Patrolman Hollers as he dragging the dog out of traffic. A blood test later showed that the driver was intoxicated, but no charges were ever filed.  Patrolman Hollers had been with the agency for one year and was survived by his wife and parents. (ODMP)

Parole Agent Russell Clarence Anderson - South Dakota Department of Corrections: Tuesday, March 3, 1998  Corrections Officer Anderson was killed instantly in a head-on collision while returning to the station from checking on parolees. He is survived by his wife and son. (ODMP)

Police Officer Kelmer Harwin One Feather - Oglala Sioux Tribal Police: Saturday, July 1, 2000  Officer One Feather was killed while transporting two suspects, one of which who had just been arrested for DUI. The DUI suspect was handcuffed, but the second suspect was not, and both were placed in the back seat of Officer One Feather's Ford Expedition. Because the vehicle had no cage, one or both of the suspects were able to enter the front of the vehicle and a struggle ensued. During the struggle the vehicle crashed, killing Officer One Feather and the un-handcuffed suspect. The second suspect was taken into custody.  Officer One Feather had been in law enforcement for 18 years. (ODMP)

Deputy Sheriff William Davis - Moody County Sheriff's Department: Monday, November 3, 2003  Deputy Davis was struck and killed by a vehicle while working an accident scene on I-29 at the Sioux River Bridge . He was placing the driver of one of the vehicles under arrest for refusing to sign a citation when another driver lost control of her vehicle on the icy road. The vehicle slid into the back of Deputy Davis' patrol car and then struck him as he was searching the suspect. Deputy Davis was thrown almost 30-feet and killed almost instantly. Deputy Davis had been in law enforcement for 21 years and is survived by his mother and brother.  (ODMP)    

Sheriff John Wayne Bechtold - Campbell County Sheriff's Department:  Wednesday, August 4, 2004  Sheriff Bechtold died of a heart attack after administering CPR to an accident victim.  He is survived by his wife and two adult daughters.

(APHF) – American Police Hall of Fame

(ODMP) – Officer Down Memorial Page

(SDHPM) – South Dakota Highway Patrol Memorial

(SDDOC) – South Dakota Department Of Corrections Website

(LE: Dakota) – Law Enforcement:  A South Dakota Experience

(Sam Clark) – DCI Report by Sam Clark and Billy Pattison (1986)                                                 home