SHASTA COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE

In Memoriam
Killed in the line of duty

  1863 - 1911
On November 25, 1911, William Blake died from wounds received in a gun battle with two Indians in the Fall River Mills area. Mr. Blake died as a result of a bullet wound to his hip. In an effort to save his life, his leg was amputated by Dr. M.D. Pratt. Death came half an hour after the operation. William Blake is believed to be the first peace officer killed in the line of duty in Shasta County. He left behind a wife, two sons, and a sister.

  January 23, 1919
Sheriff Albert F. Ross died as a result of a blow to the head by a piece of firewood. Apparently a mentally disturbed Cottonwood shepherd was tearing up the light and water fixtures in his cell. When Sheriff Ross went in to restrain him, the man, Peter Paris, picked up a piece of firewood and clubbed him on the head. He never regained consciousness and died two days later on his 58th birthday.

         May 25, 1950
Undersheriff Earl Sholes (left photo) and Deputy Dan Heryford (right photo) were shot, apparently with their own weapons, while transporting two youth offenders back to Redding from Seattle, Washington, to stand trial on charges of escaping from the California Youth Authority camp in Whitmore. While en-route, the pair attacked Sholes and Heryford, grabbing their guns and shooting them. Their bodies were found the next day and the California Highway Patrol caught the teenagers the same day in Truckee. Both Undersheriff Sholes and Deputy Heryford were 54 years old when shot to death on May 25, 1950.

  October 10, 1987
Deputy Dennis "Skip" Sullivan was killed in a traffic accident while on his way to negotiate with a reportedly armed subject barricaded in a home. Sullivan was headed west near Inwood Road when the trailer of an eastbound truck tipped over onto his small pickup. The impact of the collision sheared the top off the pickup. Sullivan died instantly on October 10, 1987, at 2:45 AM.

  October 21, 1991
On October 21, 1991, Deputy Kenneth R. Perrigo was found shot to death in his wrecked patrol vehicle. The suspects, Tomas Cruz, 24, and Carlos Estrada, 23, were arrested by Deputy Perrigo for being intoxicated in public. They shot Deputy Perrigo as he transported them from McArthur in eastern Shasta County to the jail in Redding. The suspects escaped the patrol car, triggering an intensive five-day manhunt with officers from agencies all over the north state and southern Oregon assisting. The suspects were finally taken into custody without incident bringing to a close what was deemed the largest and longest manhunt in Shasta County history.

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1525 Court Street, Redding, California 96001
(530) 245-6165
Fax (530) 245-6054
sheriff@co.shasta.ca.us
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