Lewis County Sheriff's Office, Washington
End of Watch: Thursday, September 19, 1957
Age: 70
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: July 27, 1957
Weapon Used: Blunt object
Suspect Info: Not charged
Jailer Runke succumbed to injuries received two months earlier when he was attacked in the Lewis County Jail. He was passing out dinner when three inmates assaulted him with a broom handle and hot coffee. He remained hospitalized for two months until his death.
The 18 year-olds were being held for the Air Force in connection with an escape from military confinement in Colorado. They had been arrested after they were stopped in a stolen car in Yakima two weeks before the assault. They were connected with several home burglaries in Lewis County. They were convicted of escape, assault, two counts of burglary and grand larceny and sentenced to 80 years in prison. No charges were filed against the three after Jailer Runke died. The county coroner reported he died from a blood clot not necessarily caused by the three.