Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen
Deputy Sheriff Davy Wayne Crawford, 55
Carroll County Georgia Sheriff’s Office
February 12, 2010 – Deputy Sheriff Davy Wayne Crawford was killed when his patrol car left the highway and became submerged in a creek. When Deputy Crawford failed to answer his radio officers were sent to search for him. They found his overturned car and divers were called to remove the deputy’s body from the vehicle. Ice and snow are believed to be the cause of the accident.
Officer Robert (Bob) Heinle, 47
Missoula Montana Police Department
February 12, 2010 – Officer Bob Heinle died as a result of injuries from a gunshot wound he received eleven years earlier. Officer Heinle had responded to a local bank after receiving a call about a man attempting to pass a forged check. The man fled on foot, then turned and shot Officer Heinle in the neck, paralyzing him from the neck down. The officer spent the next eleven years in a wheelchair.
Officer’s Heinle’s last eleven years were grueling – three hours to get ready in the mornings (with the assistance of a full-time nurse and his wife, Lisa), thirty minutes on a special exercise bike paid for from a police fund, therapy in a standing stall, muscle massage and stimulation, etc. The days were long, and hard for everyone.
When asked if he’d someday like to return to police work in some fashion, maybe doing computer work, Officer Heinle said, “I kind of lost the heart for it.”
But Bob Heinle never gave up on life. He had this to say in a 2003 interview with Michael Moore of the Missoulian, “No matter how bad it is, somebody’s got it worse,” Heinle said quietly. “I have Lisa, and my family and friends. I have so much, and I know that.”
Officer Heinle is survived by his wife, Lisa.
Service for Officer Bob Heinle
Lieutenant Michael Vogt, 56
Chattahoochee Hills Georgia Police Department
February 15, 2010 – Lt. Michael Vogt was shot and killed by a suspect who was wanted on several outstanding warrants. Lt. Vogt approached the suspicious person and asked to see his ID. The suspect went to the front of his vehicle, picked up an AR-15 assault rifle, then turned around and fired at the officer, fatally wounding him. Lt. Vogt leaves behind his wife, four children, five grandchildren, parents, and three brothers.
A FOX news report on the death of Lt. Michael Vogt, and the man who killed him.
Officer Kevin B. Wilkin, 31
Atlantic City New Jersey Police Department
February 18, 2010 – Officer Kevin B. Wilkins accidentally shot himself in the face while changing the grips on his .40 cal. Glock service pistol. He was on duty, seated in his patrol car when the accident occurred. Officer Wilkins is survived by his father, three siblings, and fiancee.
Officer Wilkin’s 2008 police academy graduating class.
