Kern County Sheriff's Office Memorial
In honor of their memory and ultimate sacrifice to the citizens of Kern County we respectfully present the following roll-call of Sheriff's Office personnel and volunteers who died in the line of duty in Kern County:
Sheriff’s Deputy
Phillip Campas
July 25, 2021
Deputy Campas was shot & killed while attempting to rescue three shooting victims from a residence in Wasco.
Sheriff’s Deputy
James Throne
May 23, 2008
Deputy Throne died in a vehicle accident while responding to assist deputies in the Lamont area.
Sheriff’s Deputy
William Joseph (Joe) Hudnall
November 14, 2006
Deputy Hudnall died in a vehicle accident while transporting a prisoner from Kern Valley to Bakersfield.
Sheriff’s Deputy
Daniel Lee Archuleta
September 12, 2004
Deputy Archuleta died in a vehicle accident while en route to assist deputies in Tupman.
Sheriff’s Citizen Service Unit
Arthur Freier
November 11, 1995
CSU Volunteer Freier died after being struck by a vehicle as he placed flares at the scene of a major traffic accident in Mountain Mesa.
Sheriff's Deputy
James Lee Williams
October 19, 1991
Deputy Williams died in a vehicle accident while responding to a call in southwest Bakersfield.
Sheriff's Deputy
Richard McHale
March 3, 1989
Deputy McHale was beaten, then shot & killed by a domestic dispute suspect during a family disturbance call in Oildale.
Sheriff's Sergeant
Marvin Kline
August 16, 1986
Sergeant Kline, along with Reserve Deputy Ray D. Bockman and S&R Volunteer Douglas R. Moonen, died in a plane crash during a training flight.
Sheriff's Reserve Deputy
Ray D. Bockman
August 16, 1986
Reserve Deputy Bockman, along with Sergeant Marvin Kline and S&R Volunteer Douglas R. Moonen, died in a plane crash during a training flight.
Search and Rescue Volunteer
Douglas R. Moonen
August 16, 1986
S&R Volunteer Moonen, along with Sergeant Marvin Kline and Reserve Deputy Ray D. Bockman, died in a plane crash during a training flight.
Sheriff's Senior Deputy
Michael J. Bentley
October 19, 1983
Senior Deputy Bentley was killed while responding to stop an armed robbery suspect near Rosamond when his patrol vehicle was rammed by the vehicle the fleeing suspect was driving.
Sheriff's Reserve Deputy
Lansing Warren
August 16, 1983
Reserve Deputy Warren, along with Reserve Deputy Ray Mallory, died in a plane crash while searching for a downed aircraft north of Kernville.
Sheriff's Reserve Deputy
Ray Mallory
August 16, 1983
Reserve Deputy Mallory, along with Reserve Deputy Lansing Warren, died in a plane crash while searching for a downed aircraft north of Kernville.
Sheriff's Deputy
Michael Wilson
October 11, 1981
Deputy Wilson died in a vehicle accident while on patrol east of Bakersfield.
Sheriff's Sergeant
John E. McCave
December 23, 1975
Sergeant McCave died of a heart attack while on duty.
Search and Rescue Volunteer
Charles J. Banning
October 23, 1974
S&R Volunteer Banning drowned while recovering a victim from a submerged vehicle in a canal near Delano.
Search and Rescue Volunteer
Terry Lee Greer
August 7, 1973
S&R Volunteer Greer drowned while searching for a possible drowning victim in a canal south of McFarland.
Sheriff's Sergeant
Donald Hodges
April 14, 1969
Sergeant Hodges was shot & killed by a theft suspect at a Bakersfield bar.
Search and Rescue Volunteer
Richard O. Slates
December 21, 1966
S&R Volunteer Slates fell to his death while engaged in a search near the summit of Telescope Peak in Death Valley.
Search and Rescue Volunteer
Fred Scheberies
January 11, 1964
S&R Volunteer Scheberies fell to his death in the Mount Whitney area during a training exercise.
Sheriff’s Deputy
Samuel H. Moore
July 11, 1962
Deputy Moore, along with Reserve Deputy Robert P. Grabner, died in a vehicle accident en route to an “officer needs assistance” call.
Sheriff's Reserve Deputy
Robert P. Grabner
July 11, 1962
Reserve Deputy Grabner, along with Deputy Samuel H. Moore, died in a vehicle accident en route to an “officer needs assistance” call.
Sheriff's Deputy
Wayne Trudell
June 4, 1962
Deputy Trudell died of a heart attack after fighting two prisoners at the jail.
Sheriff’s Captain
Roland Barbeau
February 26, 1953
Captain Barbeau died in a vehicle accident while transporting two prisoners from Ridgecrest to Bakersfield.
Sheriff’s Sergeant
Clayton H. Yearick
November 15, 1949
Sergeant Yearick, along with pilot Bill Richardson, died in a plane crash while en route to Trona to search for escapees from the Kern County Jail.
Sheriff’s Chief Civil Deputy
Howard H. Knott
October 6, 1945
Chief Civil Deputy Knott died in a flash flood in Keene while en route to serve papers in the Inyokern area.
Wasco Constable
Joseph E. English
August 15, 1936
Constable English was shot & killed in a Wasco pool hall.
Sheriff’s Deputy
Will Tibbitt
April 19, 1903
Deputy Tibbitt, along with Bakersfield City Marshal Thomas J. Packard, was shot & killed while attempting to arrest a murder suspect in Bakersfield.
Bakersfield City Marshal
Thomas J. Packard
April 19, 1903
Marshal Thomas J. Packard, along with Deputy Tibbitt, was shot & killed while attempting to arrest a murder suspect in Bakersfield.
Kernville Constable
John L. Powers
July 3, 1891
Constable Powers, along with Deputized Civilian Oliver McCoy, was shot & killed while attempting to arrest an arson suspect on tribal land in Sage Canyon.
Deputized Civilian
Oliver McCoy
July 3, 1891
Deputized Civilian McCoy, along with Constable John L. Powers, was shot & killed while attempting to arrest an arson suspect on tribal land in Sage Canyon.
Sheriff's Deputy
Benjamin T. Mitchell
October 19, 1881
Deputy Mitchell was shot & killed when a lynch mob tried to free a murder suspect he was guarding in Kernville.
Tehachapi Constable
Thomas H. Godwin
October 22, 1876
Constable Godwin was shot & killed in a Tehachapi business in retaliation for a shooting that took place the previous year.
Tehachapi Constable
William S. Mettler
November 6, 1873
Constable Metler was shot & killed while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a murder suspect in the Havilah area.
It is our hope and desire that our "roll-call" readers will furnish any missing supplemental information in the interest of paying proper tribute to those for whom it is due and for its historical value to all the citizens of Kern County.
Kern County Law Enforcement Memorial
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