Frank Crews, Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
About 9 P.M. on Saturday night, September 5, 1953, Deputy Crews and Undersheriff A. I. Rutherford went to the Denham Hotel at Ninth and Union in Shawnee concerning a man pulling a gun on another man. As the officers approached the west entrance to the hotel they were met by 75-year-old Jess Stalcup, coming out of the hotel. The officers stopped him and questioned him about the incident. While they were talking to Stalcup, the complainant, Mr. Ewers, came out of the hotel and indicated to the officers that Stalcup was the man with the gun. Stalcup then drew a concealed .45 automatic pistol and emptied it toward the officers. Deputy Crews was hit four times in the stomach and side. Rutherford and two bystanders were also wounded but not as seriously. Rutherford shot Stalcup three times in the neck and chest. Both Deputy Crews, 54, and Stalcup died at the scene. Deputy Crews was survived by his wife
J R Lindsay, Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
On Sunday, November 14, 1926, Deputy Lindsay was trailing some robbers when he stopped in Meeker (Lincoln County) and began talking to Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Dan M. Fuller. Deputy Fuller was demonstrating how he drew his gun when some men tried to rob him recently. The hammer of Fuller’s gun caught on his key chain causing the gun to fire. The bullet fatally wounded Deputy Lindsay. Deputy Fuller was charged with manslaughter.
Timothy Evan Lowry – Reserve Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
About 8 P.M. Friday, September 30, 2011, Reserve Deputies “Tim” Lowry and “Mike” Roberts were working as a team for the Warrant Section of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office when their unit topped a hill and collided with a tractor-trailer rig on State Highway 39 east of Asher, killing both deputies.
Walter C Mosier, Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriffs Office
Sheriff Mosier had gone to Mount Pleasant, Texas with N. J. Jacobs, a local General Motors employee, to repossess a car and was returning with it the afternoon of Tuesday, February 16, 1937. Jacobs was driving the repossessed car followed by Mosier. As they approached Antlers they entered a portion of the highway that had been newly graveled. A car ahead of them was leaving a heavy dust cloud so Jacobs pulled off the road to let the dust settle. Sheriff Mosier passed him and drove into the dust cloud colliding head on with a truck. The driver of the truck was seriously injured. Sheriff Mosier died before arriving at a Hugo hospital. Mosier was survived by his wife, son and daughter.
Michael Don Roberts – Reserve Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
About 8 P.M. Friday, September 30, 2011, Reserve Deputies “Mike” Roberts and “Tim” Lowry were working as a team for the Warrant Section of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office when their unit topped a hill and collided with a tractor-trailer rig on State Highway 39 east of Asher, killing both deputies.
Odos Neal Smith, Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
On the evening of Sunday, February 3, 1963, a McLoud constable arrested Thomas Arthur Rittenhouse who had been hitchhiking carrying a 30-30 Winchester rifle. When the constable learned Rittenhouse was AWOL from an Air Force Base in Kansas, he arrested him. The constable contacted Deputy Smith at his home to assist him in transporting Rittenhouse to the County Jail.
Shortly after 10 P.M. the constable was driving to Shawnee with the deputy and prisoner in the back seat. Both officers had not noticed a .25 automatic pistol Rittenhouse was carrying in a shoulder holster and his hands were handcuffed in front of him. One mile east of Dale on Highway 270, Rittenhouse drew the weapon and shot Deputy Smith four times in the chest, leg and shoulders. The constable then wrecked the vehicle and the suspect jumped out.
The wounded deputy got out of the wrecked police car and tried to pursue the suspect but collapsed in the roadway. A passing vehicle struck the deputy in the highway and dragged his body 30 feet before stopping. Rittenhouse surrendered to the constable at the scene. Deputy Sheriff Smith was survived by his wife.
William M. Phillips, Sheriff
Pottawatomie County Sheriffs Office
On the night of Wednesday, December 3, 1980, Sheriff Phillips was involved in a traffic accident at the intersection of Market and McArthur Streets in Shawnee. One of his legs was badly broken and he required surgery. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shortly after noon on Christmas Day, Sheriff Phillips died from a heart attack caused by a blood clot from the injury.
Will
Turner, Deputy Sheriff
Pottawatomie County, O.T.
Deputy Turner was searching for Bob Christian, one of the notorious Christian
brothers, with a warrant for his arrest for grand larceny. On Saturday, April
27, 1895, Deputy Turner located Christian near the town of Violet Springs, one
of the toughest, most lawless border towns in Oklahoma Territory. Christian was
with three other men, his brother Bill, “Buttermilk” John Mackey and Foster
Holbrook. Deputy Turner single-handedly confronted all four men in an attempt to
serve his warrant. Christian told Turner to keep his warrant and drew his gun.
Deputy Turner was able to fire first and hit Christian in the chest. The shot
did not injure Christian although it knocked him to the ground, as it was
discovered Christian was wearing a steel vestplate. All four men opened fire on
the deputy, killing him. All four men were soon tracked down and arrested.
Following their trials, Holbrook was acquitted, Mackey was sentenced to two
years and the two Christian brothers both received ten-year sentences. Bob and
Bill Christian were still in the Oklahoma County Jail appealing their cases on
June 30, 1895, when they escaped with James Casey, killing Oklahoma City Police
Chief Milton Jones. Bill Christian was killed by a posse in Arizona in 1897. Bob
Christian escaped and was never located.