Iowa Concerns of Police Survivors

Sheriff Ernest Wahlert was accidentally shot and killed when his revolver fell from its holster and discharged.

The sheriff and a deputy were pursuing bootleggers during a snow storm when their vehicle left the road and became stuck in the snow. As the two attempted to push the car out of the snow, Sheriff Wahlert's revolver fell from his shoulder holster, discharged, and the bullet struck him in the chest.

Sheriff Wahlert had served with the agency for only 1 year. He was survived by his wife.

Town Marshal Henry Hanfeld was shot and killed at approximately 7:00 am while attempting to arrest two youths, ages 16 and 17, who had just robbed a gas station in Luxemburg.

One of the boys fired a shot as they drove by Marshal Hanfeld, striking him in the heart. Both were apprehended two hours later by police officer in East Dubuque, Illinois.

Both suspects were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. On January 18th, 1934, Governor Clyde Herring commuted their sentences to 20 years. One was paroled in 1936 and the other in 1937.

Sheriff William Sweet and Marshal Aaron Bailey, of the Washington Police Department, were shot and killed after arresting a man wanted for stealing a car in Ottumwa.

The officers had spotted the stolen car and stopped it near the city of Washington. They arrested the driver and took him to the county courthouse. When Sheriff Sweet began to search the suspect, the man suddenly produced a .38 caliber revolver and opened fire, striking Marshal Bailey twice and Sheriff Sweet three times.

Another policeman, whom the officers had picked up while en route to the courthouse, exchanged shots with the suspect but did not hit him.

The suspect fled the scene and remained at large for four years. On January 6, 1934, the suspect and several other criminals were shot and killed in Illinois by members of the Chicago Police Department. The man was suspected to be an associate of the Barker-Karpis Gang and responsible for several other murders.

Sheriff Sweet had served with the Washington County Sheriff's Department for nine years. He had been appointed as sheriff only 7 months earlier after the former sheriff resigned. He was survived by his two sons.

Marshal Aaron Bailey and Sheriff William Sweet, of the Washington County Sheriff's Department, were shot and killed after arresting a man for stealing a car in Ottumwa.

The officers had spotted the stolen car and stopped it near the city of Washington. They arrested the driver and took him to the county courthouse. When Sheriff Sweet began to search the suspect, the man suddenly produced a .38 caliber revolver and opened fire, striking Marshal Bailey twice and Sheriff Sweet three times.

Another policeman, whom the officers had picked up while en route to the courthouse, exchanged shots with the suspect but did not hit him.

The suspect fled the scene and remained at large for four years. On January 6, 1934, the suspect and several other criminals were shot and killed in Illinois by members of the Chicago Police Department. The man was suspected to be an associate of the Barker-Karpis Gang and responsible for several other murders.

Patrolman Ogilvie was off duty riding around with friends when he observed a car driving recklessly. He was able to get the car stopped and was shot with a .45 caliber handgun while approaching it. The suspect was captured and identified by Patrolman Ogilvie's friends.

The suspect told police that he did not know who Patrolman Ogilvie was when he jumped on the running board of his car and shot him out of fear. The suspect was tried and acquitted October 18, 1930.

Patrolman Ogilvie had been with the agency for eleven years.

Sergeant Rupert Shepherd was killed in a motorcycle accident while on routine patrol.

As he rode his motorcycle across the streetcar tracks at 29th Street and University Avenue his tires got caught in the track grooves, throwing him off balance. As he tried to regain control he was thrown into a steel trolley pole. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Sergeant Shepherd had served with the Des Moines Police Department for seven years.

Deputy Sheriff Bob Sproat was shot and killed when he and two other officers set up a roadblock on Primary Road 74 (modern-day Highway 130), two miles east of Tipton, to stop three robbery suspects who were fleeing Davenport.

When the officers stopped the vehicle, one of the men opened fire with a machine gun, striking Deputy Sproat in the chest.

One suspect was apprehended at his home in Ohio several days later. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was paroled on August 13th, 1952.

The other two suspects, who were brothers, remained at large until 1936, when one, identified as the shooter, was apprehended in California. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and executed in January 1938. A few weeks after his execution, the FBI discovered that his brother had committed suicide in Reading, California, on April 20th, 1934.

Deputy Sproat was a United States Army Spanish War veteran. He was survived by his two brothers, four sisters, four nephews, and two nieces.

He is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa.

Night Marshal Virgil Untied was shot and killed while attempting to arrest three robbery suspects.

He was on foot patrol when he spotted the three robbing a grocery store. He was shot as he attempted to arrest them. The suspects fled the scene and were never apprehended.

Marshal Untied was survived by his wife and three children.

Patrolman Wright was killed when he was intentionally crushed between a vehicle and a tree. Patrolman Wright had followed a suspect wanted for writing bad checks to Fairfield. When he attempted to apprehend the suspect the man fled in an automobile and Patrolman Wright jumped on the running board. The man then intentionally rammed him into a tree, causing fatal injuries. The suspect was apprehended a short time later and charged with murder.

Sergeant James Cowart was shot and killed by a former deputy sheriff he had arrested five years earlier.

He was at home when the subject knocked on his door at 6:30 a.m. When he answered it, the subject, standing in the yard, fired multiple shots through the glass-enclosed porch, striking Sergeant Cowart in the stomach.

Arriving officers found the subject fatally wounded after his shotgun accidentally discharged as he attempted to dismantle it.

Sergeant Cowart had served with the Des Moines Police Department for nine years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

Special Deputy Claude Dail was accidentally shot and killed when a riot gun inadvertently discharged as another deputy prepared it for use.

The deputies were escorting several farm strikers into the courthouse to face trial for unlawful assembly. Sixty six strikers were set to face trial and over 100 special deputies were called into service to prevent additional civil unrest.

Deputy Dail had served with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Department for only three days.

Sergeant Booton was shot and killed after he and another officer stopped two suspicious men parked in front of a laundromat. The suspects were planning on robbing the laundromat and opened fire on the officers when they approached, striking Sergeant Booton in the chest.

The suspects were apprehended and brought to the hospital where Sergeant Booton identified the shooter before succumbing to his injuries.

Both suspects were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. One had his sentence commuted to 90 years by the governor and was paroled in 1962. He was returned to prison four months later for violating his parole. He was paroled again September 8, 1966. The other suspect died in prison May 9, 1950.

Sergeant Booton had been with the agency for five years.

Deputy Dilworth was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a man wanted for rape. When he and another deputy entered a house to arrest the man the suspect and a second man confronted them with pistols. Deputy Dilworth was shot in the head when he attempted to disarm one of the suspects. The second deputy was shot in the back twice and wounded. The suspect was apprehended and hanged for Deputy Dilworth's murder.
Deputy Dilworth was survived by his wife and daughter.

Night Marshal Anthony Swatta was shot and killed when he responded to the sound of a gunshot in front of the Valley Junction City Hall. A man who had just shot his step-son shot the marshal as he approached.

The suspect then shot and killed himself.

Special Agent Harry Elliott was shot and killed near Oskaloosa, Iowa, after he and another agent stopped a man suspected of transporting liquor.

The man had been convicted of bootlegging twice before. As Special Agent Elliott looked into the back of the car, the subject exited the vehicle and opened fire, striking him in the back and neck. Special Agent Elliott's partner was shot five times, but none of the wounds were considered serious.

The man who murdered him committed suicide when a posse cornered him in a hay field the following day.

Agent Elliot was survived by his wife and three children.

Captain Frederick Sauer was shot and killed after he and another officer responded to a report of a burglary at a store at 0530 hours. Captain Sauer covered the front of the store as the other officer covered the rear. As the two burglars came out of the front of the store one opened fire with a shotgun and fatally wounded Captain Sauer.

Both suspects were eventually apprehended and charged with murder. Charges were dropped against one of the suspects. The other suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison December 10, 1934. He was paroled in 1969. On May 7, 1970, he was arrested in Des moines, Iowa, and charged with the theft of 64 money orders from a Colorado Springs, Colorado, post office. Four months later he was convicted of mail theft and sentenced to five years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.

Captain Steven Howard succumbed to a gunshot received the previous day while responding to a robbery at a local bar.

After an intensive investigation two suspects were identified. During the arrest one of the suspects was shot and killed. The other, who was a juvenile, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Captain Howard had served with the Des Moines Police Department for 27 years.

Sergeant Webb Miller was shot and killed in Omaha, Nebraska, after chasing a stolen taxi over the Missouri River and across the state line from Council Bluffs.

During the ensuing shootout Sergeant Miller shot and killed the man but received a head wound and succumbed to the wound the following day.

Sergeant Miller had served with the Council Bluffs Police Department for 11 years. He was survived by his wife and five children.

Patrolman Oran Pape was shot and killed while struggling with a suspect who had abducted him during a traffic stop on Highway 61 (modern-day Highway 22) near Fairport.

Patrolman Pape had stopped the vehicle suspecting it was stolen. As he approached the car the driver pointed a gun at him and told him to get into the vehicle.

As they drove away Patrolman Pape grabbed the driver and began to struggle with him. During the struggle two shots were fired, one struck Patrolman Pape in the abdomen and groin and the other struck the suspect in the head, killing him instantly. Patrolman Pape was able to seek help and was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.

Patrolman Pape had served with the Iowa State Patrol for one year.

Field Agent Albert Paul was killed in a single vehicle crash on Highway 6, approximately 10 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as he and another agent returned a parolee to Iowa from California.

One of the vehicle's tires blew out, causing it to go out of control and overturn. Agent Paul was thrown from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries. The prisoner remained and rendered aide to the agents. The prisoner even gathered Agent Paul's revolver and personal belongings and gave them to the other agent for safekeeping.

Agent Paul had served with the Iowa Board of Parole for five years. He was survived by his wife.

Night Officer Bert Conrey succumbed to injuries sustained two weeks earlier when he was severely beaten by an intoxicated couple who were walking on Main Street, between 1st Street and 2nd Street.

The couple were acting disorderly and Officer Conrey confronted them, at which time he was punched and kicked by the married couple. The couple was arrested and charged with murder after Officer Conrey died two weeks later.

They were originally convicted of second degree murder, but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the murder conviction was overturned. They were both sentenced to eight years in prison.

Officer Conrey had served with the Knoxville Police Department for 23 years. He was survived by his wife and eight children.

Sheriff James O'Malley was killed in an automobile accident while returning from Des Moines on a trip to receive the governor's signature for an extradition order. During severely dense fog his vehicle struck a bridge rail and he was killed.

Sheriff Leland Fry succumbed to a gunshot wound received the previous day in Garrison, Iowa, where he had gone to arrest a man. During the arrest the suspect shot Sheriff Fry in the abdomen. The suspect then committed suicide.

Sheriff Fry had served as sheriff for nearly three years and was survived by his wife, Hazel, and their children, Dale and Shirley.

Night Marshal Elmer J. Lennon was fatally wounded as he confronted a male that he suspected of stealing gas from the H.J. Shuette Filling Station in the early morning hours.

When Marshal Lennon approached the male's vehicle, the male ordered him to back away. As Night Marshal Lennon attempted to take cover near his vehicle, the male drew a gun and opened fire. Marshal Lennon was struck in the neck and hip, but was able to return fire and strike the male once in the leg.

The wounded shooter fled in his vehicle, and Marshal Lennon was able to flag down assistance. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The killer was later captured and determined to be a convict who had escaped from a Wisconsin prison. At the time of his arrest, the killer was armed with four loaded handguns and was driving a stolen vehicle that contained an assortment of shotguns and high powered rifles. He confessed to the murder of Night Mashal Lennon and was convicted of the crime. He was released after serving a partial sentence.

Night Marshal Lennon had served as the Postville Night Marshal for eight years. He was survived by his wife and three children.