Patrol's Memorial
Oath
of Office - inscribed on the Patrol Officers' Memorial:
"I do hereby swear and/or affirm that I will support the Constitution
of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and that
I
will faithfully, honestly, and impartially discharge the duties of the office
of Trooper in the Ohio State Highway Patrol to the best of my ability during
my continuance in said office."
The black granite memorial, in its natural and beautiful setting in the landscaped Academy courtyard, is engraved with the name of each officer killed in the line of duty since the division's inception in 1933. It is often visited by the many people who attend functions and classes at the Academy. The memory of our slain officers remains in the hearts of those people -- active and retired Highway Patrol members, fellow law enforcement officers, and family and friends.
Honor Roll of Highway Patrol Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
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Sergeant
John F. Best May 25, 1906 -- June 17, 1935 Hometown: Bellefontaine 1st Academy Class: November 15, 1933 Sergeant Best was the chief of Highway Patrol radio operations at Findlay when he was electrocuted while testing a receiving set at the broadcasting station. |
| Patrolman
Leroy S. Bedell March 27, 1901 -- August 20, 1935 Hometown: Norwalk 1st Academy Class: November 15, 1933 Patrolman Bedell was driving one of the division's Indian motorcycles on State Route 4 in Erie County when he was killed in a fatal crash. He was stationed at Bellevue. |
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Patrolman
James E. Ivory February 2, 1907 -- January 7, 1936 Hometown: Bellefontaine 1st Academy Class: November 15, 1933 Patrolman Ivory was critically injured in a motorcycle crash while on duty in Salem in January 1935. After a full year of medical treatment and periods of hospital confinement, he died January 7, 1936 of injuries sustained in the crash. |
| Patrolman
Charles W. Timberlake August 1, 1911 -- August 7, 1936 Hometown: Shadyside 5th Academy Class: October 6, 1935 Patrolman Timberlake was killed in a motorcycle crash while on duty southeast of Lima in Hardin County. He was stationed at Defiance. |
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Patrolman
Karl E. Bushong February 18, 1897 -- June 7, 1937 Hometown: Cleveland 1st Academy Class: November 15, 1933 Stationed at Geneva, Patrolman Bushong was killed in a traffic crash on US Route 20 east of the city as he was administering a driver's license examination. A passenger in the car driven by the license applicant, the officer was fatally injured when the driver collided with an oncoming vehicle. |
| Patrolman
George A. Conn July 19, 1909 -- September 27, 1937 Hometown: Cumberland 4th Academy Class: July 10, 1935 Patrolman Conn, of New Philadelphia, was killed north of Freeport in Harrison County by Pittsburgh-area gangsters who were involved in thefts, drug running, prostitution and kidnapping. The investigation of this case involved dozens of suspects in an extensive and complicated action which laid the foundation for the creation of the Highway Patrol's Investigation Section. |
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Patrolman
Charles G. Cannon July 18, 1909 -- January 1 , 1938 Hometown: Columbus 2nd Academy Class: March 12, 1934 Patrolman Cannon was killed in a motorcycle crash while on duty patrolling US Route 42 southwest of Cedarville in Greene County. He was stationed at Springfield. |
| Patrolman
John G. Hough August 14, 1912 -- December 3, 1940 Hometown: Versailles 7th Academy Class: April 3, 1938 On September 19, 1940 Patrolman Hough, of Portsmouth, was assisting a stranded motorist with a flat tire when he was struck by a drunken driver who fled the scene. The hit-skip occurred on US Route 52 in Scioto County and the officer died 11 weeks later of injuries sustained in the incident. |
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Patrolman
Paul L. McManis June 23, 1913 -- September 28, 1941 Hometown: Mt. Vernon 12th Academy Class: April 30, 1941 Patrolman McManis was killed in a traffic crash which occurred on State Route 269 north of Bellevue in Erie County. At the time of the collision Ptl. McManis was responding to a crash call. He was stationed at Bellevue. |
| Corporal
John E. Ruch October 31, 1909 -- March 4, 1942 Hometown: Akron 2nd Academy Class: April 12, 1934 Corporal Ruch died as a result of injuries suffered in a traffic crash which occurred during a high speed pursuit on US Route 20 in Ashtabula County. He was stationed at Geneva. |
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Lieutenant
Vance M. Andrews June 11, 1902 -- November 21, 1945 Hometown: Wooster 1st Academy Class: November 15, 1933 Lieutenant Andrews succumbed to fatal injuries suffered in a traffic crash which occurred on State Route 13 in Mt. Vernon. He was stationed at the division's Columbus facility. |
| Patrolman
James P. Gardner September 8, 1923 -- February 28, 1948 Hometown: Warren 23rd Academy Class: September 10, 1947 Patrolman Gardner was the victim of a fatal traffic crash which occurred in the line of duty. He was a member of the Massillon Post. |
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Patrolman
Harry D. Grimes May 11, 1926 -- June 8, 1952 Hometown: Carrollton 32nd Academy Class: November 7, 1951 Patrolman Grimes was fatally struck while on a routine traffic stop on State Route 7 in Martins Ferry. He was standing near the highway talking to a motorist when the crash occurred. He was stationed at the Bridgeport Post. |
| Patrolman
James A. Fredericka April 7, 1915 -- May 8, 1953 Hometown: Niles 25th Academy Class: June 3, 1948 Patrolman Fredericka, stationed at Warren, was en route to a traffic crash on State Route 7 in Trumbull County on April 30, 1953 when he lost control of the vehicle on wet pavement and crashed into a tree. The officer died eight days later of injuries suffered in the collision. |
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Chief Radio
Operator Walter E. Dawson |
Auxiliary Officer
Earl F. Ulmer |
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Patrolman
Earl W. Casterline November 28, 1927 -- October 19, 1953 Hometown: Norwood 35th Academy Class: May 9, 1952 Patrolman Casterline was killed in a car-train crash at a railroad crossing obscured by trees and shrubs on Kemper Road in Hamilton County. He was a member of the Cincinnati Post. |
| Patrolman
Frank J. Hossler June 28, 1931 -- September 22, 1956 Hometown: Westerville 44th Academy Class: November 4, 1955 Patrolman Hossler was the victim of a fatal traffic crash while on routine patrol north of De Graff in Logan County. He was stationed at the Bellefontaine Post. |
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Patrolman
Robert E. Karsmizki August 12, 1921 -- March 31, 19 57 Hometown: Mansfield 23rd Academy Class: September 10, 1947 Patrolman Karsmizki, a member of the Bucyrus Post, was fatally shot by a felon who was fleeing another murder. The incident followed a high-speed chase in which the suspect crashed a police roadblock in Galion in Crawford County. The armed felon also shot another trooper before being killed by a Highway Patrol Auxiliary officer present at the scene. |
| Patrolman
Ernest E. Cole March 13, 1940 -- October 3, 1964 Hometown: Hamilton 63rd Academy Class: January 10, 1964 Patrolman Cole was fatally struck on Interstate 75 in Butler County while trying to regulate the traffic flow around multiple crashes caused by heavy fog and poor visibility. He was stationed at the Dayton Post. |
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Patrolman
Jon D. Birchem January 30, 1945 -- February 27, 1967 Hometown: Prospect 70th Academy Class: June 10, 1966 Patrolman Birchem, a member of the Swanton Post on the Ohio Turnpike, was in pursuit of two speeding vehicles in Wood County and was fatally injured in a traffic crash which occurred when he lost control on icy pavement and hit a concrete bridge pillar. |
| Sergeant
Harold K. Hanning December 26, 1943 -- August 6, 1970 Hometown: Ravenna 66th Academy Class: February 8, 1965 Sergeant Hanning, a pilot in the division's Aviation section, was flying over Wooster Township north of US Route 30 in Wayne County when the plane crashed into a wooded area. He had been helping to round up cattle set loose after a traffic crash. |
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Lieutenant
James A. Kirkendall October 26, 1925 -- October 28, 1970 Hometown: Springfield 28th Academy Class: September 6, 1949 Lieutenant Kirkendall was the Van Wert Post commander at the time of his death in 1970. He was killed in a traffic crash involving two trucks on US Route 33 just west of St. Johns in Auglaize County. |
Auxilary Officer
Dale R. Warrington |
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| Patrolman
Joel F. Miller March 15, 1943 -- December 6, 1971 Hometown: Bloomdale 82nd Academy Class: April 11, 1969 Patrolman Miller was stationed at the Findlay Post. He was killed in a car-train collision at the Penn Central Railroad crossing on County Road 15 in Hardin County. |
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Patrolman
Carl L. Thrush August 31, 1941 -- February 6, 1972 Hometown: Waynesfield 65th Academy Class: October 29 1964 Patrolman Thrush of the Athens Post was answering an accident call on a snowy, slush-covered State Route 93 in Vinton County when his vehicle struck an icy patch, collided with another vehicle, and rolled over an embankment. |
| Patrolman
William J. Keller August 13, 1945 -- October 14, 1972 Hometown: Hershey, PA 93rd Academy Class: December 17, 1971 Patrolman Keller was fatally struck by a pickup truck while outside of his patrol car handling a traffic stop on Interstate 76 in Rootstown in Portage County. He was a member of the Ravenna Post. |
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Patrolman
David L. Sterner April 13, 1951 -- February 25, 1973 Hometown: Canton 95th Academy Class: June 23, 1972 Patrolman Sterner, a member of the Findlay Post, was in pursuit of a speeding motorist on State Route 15 in Hancock County when another driver pulled across State Route 37 directly in his path. In attempting to avoid a collision with the vehicle on State Route 37, the officer lost control of his patrol car and crashed into a culvert. |
| Patrolman
Jerry R. Neff June 5, 1946 -- January 30, 1974 Hometown: Mt. Sterling 90th Academy Class: April 16, 1971 Patrolman Neff was on routine patrol on US Route 62 below the Interstate 71 overpass in southwestern Franklin County when a reckless driver operating a stolen vehicle on the interstate lost control and careened off the overpass, crashing into the officer's patrol car below. Patrolman Neff was stationed at the Circleville Post. |
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Sergeant
Edward G. Moore December 31, 1941 -- July 23, 1976 Hometown: Zanesville 70th Academy Class: June 10, 1966 Sergeant Moore, a pilot in the division's Aviation section, was on routine air patrol over Knox County when he encountered a sudden and severe thunderstorm. His plane went down north of Mt. Vernon and east of State Route 13 due to heavy rain, poor visibility, and strong, gusty winds. |
| Trooper
Charles V. Vogel Jr. July 24, 1955 -- January 24, 1980 Hometown: Dayton 104th Academy Class : January 12, 1979 Trooper Vogel, a member of the Springfield Post, was investigating a series of crashes which had occurred as a result of icy conditions on Interstate 70 and US Route 68 in Clark County. He was assisting several crash victims in the highway median when struck by another vehicle. |
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Trooper
William R. Bender March 25, 1951 -- November 20, 1982 Hometown: Marion 96th Academy Class: October 27, 1972 On October 25, 1982 Trooper Bender was directing traffic at a construction site on US Route 23 north of State Route 53 in Wyandot County when struck by a semi tractor trailer. Stationed at the Marion Post, he died 20 days later of injuries suffered in the crash. |
| Trooper
Jody S. Dye December 3, 1959 -- July 5, 1985 Hometown: Ravenswood, WV 111th Academy Class: December 11, 1981 Trooper Dye, patrolling Interstate 270 during heavy rainfall, was fatally struck while placing flares at the US Route 33 interchange in Columbus to warn approaching traffic of a crash scene. He was stationed at the Granville Post. |
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Load Limit Inspector
Paul C. Eberhart |
 Ralph E. Morrow was killed in a traffic crash which occurred On November 23, 1987. He and Load Limit Inspector Paul C. Eberhart had just finished weighing a truck on US-30 in Wayne County when a tractor-trailor drove off the roadway and crashed into them. A trooper working with the team miraculously survived very critical injuries. |
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Trooper
Wendy G. Everett September 30, 1962 -- August 5, 1988 Hometown: Parkersburg, WV 114th Academy Class: September 6, 1985 Trooper Everett, a member of the Circleville Post, was outside her patrol car completing a criminal investigation on Interstate 270 at US Route 62 in Franklin County when she was struck by a hit-skip driver. She died hours later of the critical injuries sustained in the crash. |
| Trooper
Kenneth A. Maloney August 7, 1962 - July 28, 1990 Hometown: Middletown 113th Academy Class: September 7, 1984 Trooper Maloney was killed in a two-vehicle crash which occurred on US Route 68 east of Georgetown in Brown County. He was responding to a crash call at the time of the collision. Trooper Maloney was stationed at Georgetown. |
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Trooper
James R. Gross January 12, 1969 - January 19, 1996 Hometown: Brunswick 124th Academy Class: June 25, 1993 Trooper Gross of the Ashland Post was slain during a traffic stop on Interstate 71 in Ashland County. He responded to a CB-radio report of an erratic driver and, upon approaching the vehicle, was twice shot. The suspect was subsequently captured and convicted of capital murder. |
| Trooper
Robert Perez, Jr. August 15, 1975 - May 15, 2000 Hometown: Lorain 132nd Academy Class: April 2, 1999 Trooper Perez was stopped with a violator on the Ohio Turnpike when a vehicle struck his cruiser from behind. A member of the Milan Post, Tpr. Perez succumbed to serious injuries three days later. |
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Trooper
Frank G. Vazquez July 7, 1975 - November 6, 2001 Hometown: Defiance 128th Academy Class: July 25, 1997 Trooper Vazquez of the West Jefferson Post was stopped with a violator on Interstate 270 when a vehicle struck his Patrol car from behind. Tpr. Vazquez succumbed to his injuries the next morning. |
| Sergeant Dale R. Holcomb March 7, 1961 - September 28, 2006 Hometown: Crooksville 115th Academy Class: March 21, 1986 Sergeant Holcomb was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Jackson Pike in Gallia County. The crash also claimed the lives of Tpr. Joshua P. Risner, and a Gallia County woman. He was assigned to the Gallipolis Post. |
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Trooper
Joshua P. Risner September 15, 1977 - September 28, 2006 Hometown: Oak Hill 134th Academy Class: December 10, 1999 Trooper Risner was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Jackson Pike in Gallia County. The crash also claimed the lives of Sgt. Dale R. Holcomb, and a Gallia County woman. He was assigned to the Gallipolis Post. |
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Trooper Jack P. Holland