AAMVA honors law enforcement officers of member jurisdictions who make the ultimate sacrifice while performing their duties. Our deepest respect and sympathy goes out to the families and agencies of those fallen officers.
Trooper First Class Chadwick T. LeCroy
Georgia State Patrol
End of Watch: Monday, December 27, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Monday, December 27, 2010
Suspect Info: Apprehended
Trooper Chadwick LeCroy was shot and killed in Atlanta after a short vehicle pursuit.
He had attempted to stop a vehicle with a broken headlight on Bolton Road near James Jackson Parkway. The vehicle fled until it crashed at the intersection of St. Paul Avenue and Hightower Road.
As Trooper LeCroy approached the vehicle the suspect opened fire on him, striking him twice. The subject then stole Trooper LeCroy's patrol car and fled the scene. He was arrested a short distance away by members of the Atlanta Police Department and Cobb County Police Department.
Trooper LeCroy had served with the Georgia State Patrol for two years. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Trooper David J. DeLaittre
Montana Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 23
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Suspect Info: Deceased
Trooper David DeLaittre was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on Montana Highway 2 near the Three Forks Airport in Gallatin County.
Trooper DeLaittre conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle. During the stop, the suspect opened fire. Tropper DeLaittre was killed in the ensuing gun-battle. The suspect fled the scene after shooting the trooper. He was later found dead in his vehicle in Broadwater County.
Trooper DeLaittre had served with the Montana Highway Patrol for two years. He is survived by his parents.
Trooper Jonathan McDonald
Texas Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Monday, November 15, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: Not Available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: Monday, November 15, 2010
Trooper Jonathan McDonald was killed in an automobile crash on U.S. 84 while responding to another accident near Post, Texas. He was involved in a single vehicle crash during the response.
Trooper McDonald is survived by his wife and 7-month-old child.
Captain George Green
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 31 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: Monday, October 25, 2010
Captain George Green succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when his patrol car was struck by a dump truck at the intersection of Highway 97 and Turner Turnpike in Sapulpa.
Captain Green was attempting to turn left from the Turnpike onto the highway when his patrol car was T-boned by the truck.
Captain Green had served with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for 31 years and was six months shy of retirement.
Sergeant Joseph (Joe) Schuengel
Missouri State Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Friday, October 15, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: Friday, October 15, 2010
Sergeant Joe Schuengel was killed in a helicopter crash while returning to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in one of the department's traffic enforcement helicopters.
He had dropped off several other troopers and was returning to the airport when the Bell 206B helicopter experienced a probable mechanical failure. It is believed he was able to maneuver the aircraft to avoid nearby houses before crashing into a residential street on Horseshoe Ridge Road.
Residents and responding officers immediately responded to the scene, but Sergeant Schuengel had been killed on impact.
Sergeant Schuengel had served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for 17 years.
Corporal David Ralph Slaton
Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Monday, September 20, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 36 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile Crash
Date of Incident: Monday, September 20, 2010
Corporal David Slaton was killed in a vehicle crash in Montague County when his patrol car struck a cow that had wandered into the roadway.
After striking the cow on U.S. 81, his patrol car veered into the path of an oncoming semi, resulting in a second collision.
Corporal Slaton had served with the Texas Highway Patrol for 36 years. He is survived by his wife and son.
Trooper Mark D. Barrett
Virginia State Police
End of Watch: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Incident: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Trooper Mark Barrett passed away during a training dive in Lake Anna.
Trooper Barrett and other members of the Virginia State Police's Search and Recovery Team were performing deep-water dives in the lake. As he and his dive partner were ascending to the surface, the other trooper noticed he was having difficulty and assisted him to the surface.
Other troopers immediately started CPR and he was transported to a local hospital where he died.
Trooper Barrett is survived by his wife and two children.
Trooper First Class Kenneth R. Hall
Connecticut State Police
End of Watch: Thursday, September 2, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 57
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile Crash
Date of Incident: Thursday, September 2, 2010
Trooper Kenny Hall was killed when his patrol car was struck as he was issuing a summons on I-91.
Trooper Hall had stopped a vehicle on I-91 for an infraction and was in his patrol car writing a summons when it was struck by a passing vehicle. The patrol car was pushed into the vehicle he had stopped and Trooper Hall was trapped inside for 45 minutes.
Trooper Hall was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
Trooper Hall had served with the Connecticut State Police for 22 years and is survived by his wife and four children.
Officer Brett Oswald
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Suspect Info: Charged with felony vehicular manslaughter
Officer Brett Oswald was killed when he was struck by a vehicle at the scene of an abandoned vehicle.
He responded to a report that a vehicle had hit a tree on South River Road in Paso Robles. After investigating, Officer Oswald determined that no accident had occurred and that the vehicle was abandoned. He called for a tow truck and was waiting next to his patrol car, when a passing vehicle crossed the double yellow lines and struck the patrol car. The force of the impact pushed the patrol car into him.
Officer Oswald was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.
The suspect was arrested and charged with felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and driving with a suspended license.
Officer Oswald had served with the agency for 20 years and is survived by his wife.
Officer Justin McGrory
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 2 years, 8 months
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Suspect Info: Charged with vehicular manslaughter
Officer Justin McGrory was struck and killed by a drunk driver while conducting a field sobriety test on I-15 in Barstow at 3:38 am.
He and his partner had stopped a suspected drunk driver and were administering the tests when he was struck. His partner was not injured. The drunk driver who struck him stopped a short distance away. He was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Officer McGrory had served with the California Highway Patrol for almost three years. He is survived by his expectant wife and three small children.
Officer Philip Ortiz
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 28 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Officer Philip Ortiz succumbed to injuries sustained two weeks earlier when he was struck by a vehicle on I-405 in West Los Angeles.
He was issuing a traffic citation to a driver when another car, which was driving on the shoulder passing other vehicle, struck him and his motorcycle.
Officer Ortiz was pinned in the wreckage and had to be extricated by the responding rescue crew. He was transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where he remained until passing away.
Office Ortiz had served with the California Highway Patrol for 28 years. He is survived by his wife, parents, and sister.
Constable Chelsey Robinson
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
End of Watch: Monday, June 21, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 7 months
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: Monday, June 21, 2010
Incident Location: Alberta
Constable Chelsey Robinson was killed in an automobile collision while looking for a drunk driver in Edmonton, Alberta.
She had received reports that a drunk driver was traveling in the wrong direction on Highway 16 at 12:35 am. As she attempted to locate the car her patrol car collided with a tractor trailer at the intersection of Highway 16 and Range Road 15.
Responding units located her patrol car in a nearby ditch. She was transported to a hospital in Edmonton where she succumbed to her injuries a short time later.
Constable Robinson had served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for only seven months.
Sergeant Doug Weddleton
Massachusetts State Police
End of Watch: Friday, June 18, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 28 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: Friday, June 18, 2010
Sergeant Doug Weddleton was struck and killed by two drunk drivers while working a construction detail on I-95 in Attleboro.
Sergeant Weddleton had positioned his patrol car to block an exit ramp from I-95 to I-495 so a construction crew could perform roadwork. At approximately 1:25 am a drunk driver attempted to drive around his patrol car.
As he exited his vehicle to stop the car a second drunk driver crashed into the back of the first car, pushing it into Sergeant Weddleton, seriously injuring him. He was transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Both drunk drivers were arrested and charged with numerous charges. The drunk driver in the second vehicle was charged with negligent motor vehicle homicide.
Sergeant Weddleton had served with the Massachusetts State Police for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and four sons.
Officer Thomas P. Coleman
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Friday, June 11, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicle pursuit
Date of Incident: Friday, June 11, 2010
Officer Thomas Coleman was killed in a motorcycle collision while pursuing a traffic violator he was attempting to stop in Redlands.
At 6:30 am, Officer Coleman was traveling northbound on Mountain View, just north of Interstate 10, when his motorcycle collided with a semitrailer at the intersection of San Bernardino Avenue and Alabama Street approximately one minute into the pursuit. The vehicle he was pursuing crashed into another vehicle moments later and all four occupants were apprehended.
Officer Coleman succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officer Coleman had served with the California Highway Patrol for seven years and was assigned to the San Bernardino Area of the Inland Division. He is survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, 11-month-old daughter, sister and mother.
Trooper First Class Wesley Brown
Maryland State Police
End of Watch: Friday, June 11, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 24
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, June 11, 2010
Weapon Used: Gun
Trooper Wesley Brown was shot and killed at approximately 12:40 am while working an off duty security detail at a restaurant in Forestville, Maryland.
Earlier in the evening Trooper Brown had escorted a patron out of the restaurant who had refused to pay a bill. Trooper Brown was standing in the parking lot talking on his cell phone when the man returned and fatally shot him without warning.
Trooper Brown had served with the Maryland State Police for three years and was assigned to the Forestville Barracks. He is survived by his fiancee.
Trooper Marc Castellano
New Jersey State Police
End of Watch: Sunday, June 6, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: Sunday, June 6, 2010
Trooper Marc Castellano died of injuries he sustained when he was struck by a vehicle while searching for a suspect.
At approximately 8:45am, New Jersey State Troopers observed a vehicle on the shoulder of the northbound lanes on the Garden State Parkway near mile marker 90 in Ocean County. When a Trooper pulled up behind the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed. The trooper gave chase but ended the pursuit for safety reasons. About 75 minutes later, other law enforcement agencies in the area found the driver of the vehicle near her car which was pulled off the side of the road on Route 195 West near exit 31B. She told officers she was with an armed man, prompting a massive search for a person who police later learned was non-existent.
Trooper Castellano was on Route 195 near an exit ramp in Howell Township and was searching for the person described by the female driver. As he conducted the search, he was struck by a passing vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries several hours later.
The female was arrested and faces multiple charges relating to the death of Trooper Castellano, in that she provided false information that prompted an unnecessary search by officers which led to the death of the trooper.
Trooper Castellano had served with the New Jersey State Police for six years and was assigned to Troop C Tactical Patrol Unit. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Trooper Patrick Ambroise
Florida Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Saturday, May 15, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Traffic Crash
Date of Incident: Saturday, May 15, 2010
Trooper Patrick Ambroise was killed when his patrol car was struck from behind while he was stopped on the shoulder of the Florida Turnpike, near Okeechobee Road.
A vehicle being driven on the turnpike suddenly veered onto the shoulder and struck Trooper Ambroise's 2006 Crown Victoria from behind, causing it to burst into flames, and trapping him inside.
Trooper Ambroise had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for four years. He is survived by his wife, two young daughters, mother, and five siblings.
Pilot Officer Danny Benavides
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Friday, May 7, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Airplane Crash
Date of Incident: Friday, May 7, 2010
Officer Danny Benavides was killed when the department airplane he was piloting crashed.
He was flying a Cessna 206 on observation patrol for a speed detail near Highway 78 when it went down about 9:30 am. The crash occurred in the desert near Highway 78 and Split Mountain Road, in Imperial County.
Officer Benavides had served with the California Highway Patrol for 13 years and was assigned to the Border Division Thermal Air Operations Unit. Officer Benavides is survived by his wife and daughter.
Corporal D. Kevin Cusack
South Carolina Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 45
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Patrol vehicle crash
Date of Incident: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Corporal Kevin Cusack was killed when his patrol car was involved in a single-vehicle crash.
He was on patrol when his patrol car left the road as he drove on State Highway 200 about six miles south of Lancaster. Corporal Cusack was killed as a result.
Corporal Cusack had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 21 years. He is survived by his three children.
Trooper Andrew C. Baldridge
Ohio State Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Thursday, February 4, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 2 months
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: Thursday, February 4, 2010
Trooper Andrew Baldridge was killed in an automobile crash while responding to backup a deputy from the Wyandot County Sheriff's Office.
The patrol car Trooper Baldridge was driving overturned near Carey, causing fatal injuries. His training officer sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Trooper Baldridge had graduated from the academy in December. He is survived by his parents.
Trooper Jill Mattice
New York State Police
End of Watch: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 6 years, 6 months
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile Crash
Date of Incident: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Trooper Jill Mattice was killed when her patrol car collided with a tractor trailer on Route 23, in the town of Morris, Otsego County. She had just left the school where she was assigned as a school resource officer when the crash occurred.
Trooper Mattice had served with the New York State Police for 6.5 years.
Trooper Paul G. Richey
Pennsylvania State Police
End of Watch: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 16 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Trooper Paul Richey was shot and killed when he and another trooper responded to a domestic disturbance call in Cranberry Township, Venango County, at 11:45 am.
Both troopers arrived at the scene and exited their vehicles when Trooper Richey was struck by a shot fired from inside the residence. Additional units arrived and removed Trooper Richey from the scene.
The suspect fled the scene and remains at large.
Trooper Richey had served with the Pennsylvania State Police for 16 years. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
Trooper Duane Dalton
Louisiana State Police
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 15 years
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Trooper Duane Dalton was killed in an automobile crash near Moss Bluff while on patrol.
His vehicle was struck by another car at the intersection of Highway 171 and Gloria Lane, causing his vehicle to be pushed into a ditch. Trooper Dalton was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Trooper Dalton had served with the Louisiana State Police for 15 years. He is survived by his wife and three sons.