Kiowa County

On Friday, January 19, 1996, Deputy Francis, 46, had responded to a domestic fight call in Roosevelt that resulted in an arrest being made. Deputy Francis was in the process of handcuffing the arrested person when he suffered an apparent heart attack. Deputy Francis died shortly after arriving at the hospital in Hobart. His wife, Patsy and a daughter survived Deputy Francis.

Tuesday evening, June 10, 1930, about 8 P.M., 42 year old Deputy Humble and his wife were returning to their home from a baseball practice when they were flagged down in front of a service station by the owner Sam Allen’s wife Jeanette. Mrs. Allen told the Deputy that her husband wanted to see him. Deputy Humble left his wife in the car and went in the rear of the station where the Allen’s lived. As Deputy Humble entered the residence Sam Allen started shooting striking the Deputy three times. When Mrs. Humble heard the shots she tried to go to her husband’s aid but was stopped by Mrs. Allen who started hitting Mrs. Humble with a club. Mrs. Humble was hospitalized as was her husband. Deputy Humble died a few hours after being shot. Apparently Sam Allen held a grudge against the county officers because of raids on his station for liquor violations. Sam Allen was found guilty of First Degree Manslaughter and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Mrs. Allen was also charged but it is unknown if she ever went to trial or the results if she did. Deputy Humble had been in law enforcement for eighteen years prior to his death. Besides his wife Deputy Humble was survived by an adult son named Clifton.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 2, 1973, 22 year old, Charles Stinson, walked in to the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office in Hobart and asked to be taken to the Western State Hospital in Fort Supply to be committed voluntarily for mental evaluation. Shortly after 3:00 p.m. Deputy Straub left Hobart transporting Stinson to Fort Supply without handcuffing him. A few hours later, the deputy’s dead body was found in his patrol car at the intersection of U. S. Highways 60 and 83, two miles north of Seiling. He had been shot in the head and chest with his own .357 Magnum revolver. Witnesses reported seeing two men struggling in the car, hearing shots fired and seeing Stinson running away. About 17 minutes later, Stinson was apprehended walking along the highway. Stinson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Deputy Straub, 25, had been with the Sheriff’s Office less than four months and had served with the Mangum Police Department before that. Deputy Straub was survived by his wife Quintena and 11-month-old son Michael.