Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch: Thursday, April 17, 1986
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 15 years
Badge Number: F-23
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: April 17, 1986
Weapon Used: Automobile; Commercial
Suspect Info: Released after 6 years
Deputy Sheriff John Rowe was killed when he was intentionally struck by a tractor-trailer on I-75 just north of the Florida state line.
Florida officers began chasing the semi-truck across after it failed to stop at a weigh station. The driver of the truck fired at pursuing inspectors from the Florida Department of Agriculture. The pursuit crossed the state line into Georgia where Deputy Rowe and other deputies were waiting to join the pursuit. The driver of the truck intentionally struck Deputy Rowe and his patrol car in the median of the highway.
The man was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years but was released on parole after serving only 11 years.
Deputy Rowe was survived by his wife and three children.