Kentucky State Police, Kentucky
End of Watch: Friday, August 7, 1981
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 652
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 7, 1981
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Served 31 years of a 50 year sentence
Detective Darrell Phelps was shot and killed while he and another officer moved through a marijuana field. Detective Phelps was investigating illegal cultivation of marijuana in Edmonson County
The suspect was convicted of Detective Phelps' murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison on September 4, 1981, and was released on February 13, 2013 after serving the minimum expiration sentence.
Detective Phelps had been with the agency for 12 years and was survived by his wife, daughter and son. He is buried at Union Cemetery in Quality, Kentucky. In honor of his service and sacrifice, an eight-mile stretch of Kentucky highway 1153 in Butler County has been designated the Detective Darrell V. Phelphs Memorial Highway.