Iowa Concerns of Police Survivors

Correctional Officer Robert Hart was shot and killed by an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.

The inmate had escaped from the prison three weeks earlier but came back and shot Officer Hart as he attempted to free a fellow inmate.

The inmate was convicted of first-degree murder and hanged on November 12th, 1941.

Officer Hart was a United States Army WWI veteran and had served with the Iowa Department of Corrections for six years. He was survived by his wife and two stepsons.

Policeman Williams suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after being involved in an altercation with two intoxicated men he was attempting to arrest. During the struggle, Policeman Williams struck them several times with his night stick and was able to arrest them. Shortly after he placed them in jail, he collapsed.

Policeman Williams had served with the Albia Police Department for 4 years. He is survived by his four children.

Sheriff McGriff was shot and killed at 8 p.m. as he and a group of law enforcement officers, including several deputies attempted to arrest an escaped mental patient. The armed suspect had returned to his home and his family wanted him removed.

During the shootout a deputy was injured and both the suspect and Sheriff McGriff were killed.

Sheriff McGriff had served in law enforcement for 24 years. He was survived by his wife and four adult children.

Patrolman George Schane succumbed from injuries received two days earlier when he was accidentally shot with his own weapon.

He was reaching into the rear of his vehicle when his weapon accidentally discharged. The bullet passed through his body, and then ricochet into the ground in front of the municipal court building.

Patrolman Schane had served with the Des Moines Police Department for one month. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and parents.

Conservation Officer Maurice Baggs drowned in the Little Sioux River, in Cherokee, when he fell from a dam while attempting to help a fisherman.

He was attempting to walk across the Illinois Central Railroad dam to check the licenses of a group of fishermen. The water had risen over the dam due to recent rain and he lost his footing. He was able to take off his hip boots in an attempt to swim to safety but was washed downstream and drowned.

Officer Baggs had served with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for 14 months and was assigned to Buena Vista, Cherokee and Pocahontas Counties He was survived by his wife.

Sheriff Cecil Crawford was shot and killed as he and two other officers attempted to take custody of a man for a sanity hearing in his father's home.

The man led the sheriff and a deputy upstairs, where he opened fire on them, killing Sheriff Crawford instantly. He then jumped from a window and ran into a wooded area, and was captured a short time later.

The suspect was declared insane and committed to a mental institution. In July of 1949, he was found to be sane and charged with Sheriff Crawford's murder. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison on November 7, 1949. He died on October 7, 1956.

Sheriff Crawford was serving his third term as Sheriff of Page County Sheriff's Department. He was survived by his wife.

Policeman Everett Dutcher was killed when the fire truck he was riding in was struck by a Rock Island Railroad freight train at the intersection of 3rd Street and Iowa Street.

He was riding with two firefighters to the scene of a garage fire when the truck was struck at a crossing on a curved section of track. It is believed that the driver of the fire truck did not hear the train whistle. Policeman Dutcher was thrown from the truck and struck his head on a crossing sign post, fracturing his skull. The two firefighters were also thrown from the truck but survived their injuries.

Policeman Dutcher had served with the Cedar Falls Police Department for four years. He was survived by his wife, father, and eight siblings.

Sheriff Bulman was shot and killed while attempting to serve an insanity warrant on a man in Postville, Iowa. As Sheriff Bulman and other deputies entered the room the man opened fire with a shotgun, killing the sheriff. Other deputies returned fire and killed the suspect. He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

Deputy Sheriff Fern McKinley was killed in an automobile crash on Highway 59, south of Avoca, while responding to an other accident at approximately 8:40 pm.

It is believed that another car crowded his vehicle onto the soft shoulder of the roadway. He was partially ejected from the vehicle when it went down a 30-foot embankment and landed in Jim Creek. Nearby farmers who heard the crash responded to the scene and located his body.

Deputy McKinley was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office for eight years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and mother.

Assistant Chief Menzo Grady suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after responding to the scene of an automobile accident during a soap box derby in the town.

An accident occurred a short distance away. Assistant Chief Grady ran up a hill to the accident scene in 100-degree temperatures and assisted with pulling the victims from the car.

He collapsed shortly after returning to the derby.

Assistant Chief Grady had served in law enforcement for over 30 years. He was survived by his daughter and 18 grandchildren.

Guard William Hollingsworth was killed in a vehicle crash on Cass Center Road one mile north of Anamosa.

He and 10 inmates were driving to Prison Farm No. 3 to complete the morning chores when the prison truck slid on ice and went down a 15-foot embankment. Guard Hollingsworth was trapped under the truck and suffered fatal injuries. Several of the inmates were injured but survived.

Guard Hollingsworth was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, sister, and three brothers.

Patrolman Warren Binegar succumbed to injuries received the previous evening when he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at the scene of an accident on Highway 6 two miles east of Grinnell.

Patrolman Binegar was a U.S. Marine Corps WWII veteran and had served with the Grinnell Police Department for only five days at the time of the incident. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

Patrolman Harold Klinkefus was killed in an automobile crash when his cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer on US 34 near Red Oak.

Another car attempted to turn left, and the truck attempted to stop suddenly in order to avoid a collision. The truck jack-knifed and struck the side of Patrolman Klinkefus' car, causing him to be ejected.

Patrolman Klinkefus was a United States Army World War II veteran and had served with the Iowa State Patrol for six years. He was survived by his wife and two sons.

Patrolman Juhl succumbed to gunshot wounds received eight days earlier after responding to a burglary in progress call at a local car dealership. He and the suspect exchanged shots upon his arrival and he was mortally wounded.

The suspect was apprehended in Illinois three years later, convicted of second degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison. In 1978 his sentence was commuted to 99 years making him eligible for parole.