Trail ride to benefit families of fallen peace officers; registration still open

Composite stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — In 2013, the Utah Peace Officers Association dedicated the Fallen Peace Officer Trail in Moab in memory of the officers who have fallen and in honor of those officers who have been injured and got back up.

As part of their efforts to recognize and assist these officers and their families, UPOA is sponsoring the 5th annual trail ride for off-highway vehicles April 21 in Moab to raise money for scholarships for those officers who have been injured and for family members of fallen officers.

These families have given the ultimate sacrifice. Many have young children which will never be able to tell their loved ones they love them. Some have passed long ago and their descendants are now much older.

As part of this year’s ride, organizers are also honoring one officer who died in the line of duty and another who died as a result of a duty-related illness which did not make the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial wall criteria.

Funding is provided for the Brody Young scholarships. Those eligible and wishing to apply for this scholarship have until April 30 to apply. For more information, click here.

Registration for the ride is required to participate. Registration is still open but must be completed by Friday, April 13, at midnight. To register, click here.

The UPOA said in a press release that it is their duty to represent all officers who have died in this state and given their all to the citizens of this state.

There are 14 officers honored every year, one for every mile of the trail. This year, the UPOA will recognize the following:

  • Mile Marker 1 – Detective Brian R. Holdaway / Medical – 2017 – Unified Police Department
    • Holdaway suffered a medical condition and died Feb. 2, 2017 while on duty.
  • Mile Marker 2 – Carlos M. Hall / Heart attack – 1965 – San Juan County Sheriff’s Office
    • Deputy Hall was on duty on Aug. 20, 1965, and alone at the county holding cell in Bluff when an altercation with two intoxicated females occurred. According to witnesses, the 55-year-old victim struggled with the suspects for several minutes. Deputy Hall suffered minor injuries during the incident and was forced to sit for a time in order to recover. The victim then drove from the jail to his home, approximately half a block away. Upon arrival, he asked his wife to summon the ambulance. Deputy Hall suffered chest pains followed by a massive heart attack. Attempts to revive him during the ambulance run from Bluff to Monticello were unsuccessful.
  • Mile Marker 3 – Cody J. Brotherson / Struck by vehicle – 2016 – West Valley Police Department
    • West Valley City Police Officer Cody Brotherson was hit and killed by a suspect vehicle on Nov. 6, 2016.
  • Mile Marker 4 – Jade Pusey / Meth exposure – 2005 – Utah Attorney General’s Office
    • A Salt Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, Pusey died 2 years after after being exposed to a meth lab and being diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor.
  • Mile Marker 5 – David C. Jones / Shot – 2003 – Garfield County Sheriff’s Office
    • Jones was killed in January 2003 after pulling over a car driven by a man he suspected of drinking and driving. Jones placed the driver in handcuffs and put him in the back of his squad car. The passenger of the vehicle pulled a gun and shot Jones.
  • Mile Marker 6 – Ernest G. Berry / Shot – 1914 – Utah Division of Wildlife Services
    • Officer Berry was murdered while attempting to enforce hunting restrictions near the Great Salt Lake. Witnesses last saw Berry following an unidentified man who was carrying a gun. His body was located Oct. 2, 1914, concealed in some underbrush. He had been shot twice with a shotgun.
  • Mile Marker 7 – Eric D. Ellsworth / Struck by vehicle – 2016 – Utah Highway Patrol
    • UHP Trooper Eric Ellsworth was helping with the cleanup of an electrical cable that was sagging over state Route 13 on Nov. 18, 2016 when a car driven by a teenager struck him. Ellsworth died from his injuries four days later.
  • Mile Marker 8 – Festus Sprague / Shot – 1870 – Grantsville Police Department
    • Officer Sprague was killed during a gun battle with a homicide suspect on May 3, 1870. The 39-year-old victim was a member of a posse pursuing the killer of U.S. Marshal William Story, who was shot to death the day before in Grantsville. Upon cornering the suspect in a canyon south of town, shots were exchanged and both the suspect and Officer Sprague were killed.
  • Mile Marker 9 – Harold A. Peterson / Motorcycle accident – 1954 – Salt Lake City Police Department
    • Peterson was killed in a traffic accident. At approximately 10 a.m. on Oct. 27, 1954, the 54-year-old officer was patrolling on his three-wheel motorcycle. As he entered the intersection of 1300 South and 1300 East, a vehicle driven by an elderly man turned in front of him. In the collision, Peterson was knocked from his motorcycle, dragged more than 30 feet and pinned beneath the vehicle. He died of severe head trauma.
  • Mile Marker 10 – Sheriff James C. Burns / Shot – 1894 – Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office
    • From the writings of Niels Heber Anderson: “Sheriff James Burns (and others) confronted sheep rustlers at Reader’s Ridge back of the Horseshoe Mountain. Evidence of the changing of the ear marks and brands made it quite clear that certain sheep had been stolen. Sheriff Burns made an attempt to place the rustlers under arrest without first disarming them. As he approached them, they shot and killed the sheriff, then warned the other men that if they did not stay out of the affair, they would receive the same treatment as had been given the sheriff. Bill Brewer and Anderson brought the news to Spring City and Mt. Pleasant. Thomas Braby, with the Mt. Pleasant Militia, was soon on the scene of the shooting, and the body of James C. Burns was taken to Mt. Pleasant. Although the Militia searched and guarded for a couple of weeks in the ledges and dense timber, the murderers were never apprehended.”
  • Mile Marker 11 – Joseph H. Quigley / Shot – 1935 – Ogden Police Department
    • Quigley died trying to apprehend men seen siphoning gas from cars. He attempted to jump into the suspects’ car. He was shot by one of the men and dumped from their roadster as they sped off.
  • Mile Marker 12 – Rollin R. Tanner / Lion attack – 1927 – Salt Lake City Police Department
    • Special Officer Rollin R. Tanner died of blood poisoning a week after being mauled by a Liberty Park zoo lion. The incident occurred on the day Charles Lindbergh was visiting Salt Lake City. Tanner was a former state senator, Beaver County Sheriff, and an attorney.
  • Mile Marker 13 – Sgt. Wesley Rosette / Vehicle accident – 1951 – Colorado State Patrol
    • Rosette was killed in a traffic accident Jan. 31, 1951, while on a prisoner extradition in Utah. The 45-year-old victim and Mesa County (Colorado) Sheriff E.E. Redmon were traveling to Price to pick up a prisoner. Rosette was a passenger in the Mesa County police vehicle. At the incident location, a large eastbound truck paused to allow the officers’ vehicle to pass before making a left turn. The truck was struck from behind by a semi tractor-trailer. The collision forced the first truck into the path of the oncoming police vehicle. Rosette suffered blunt force trauma to his chest and was killed instantly. Redmon suffered critical injuries but survived.
  • Mile Marker 14 – William R. Story / Shot – 1870 – United States Marshals Service
    • Story was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a murder suspect. The 31-year-old victim went to Grantsville with a Nevada deputy sheriff to serve a warrant from that state. During the arrest, the suspect seized the deputy’s pistol and used it to shoot Story.

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