El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch Friday, July 1, 1864
Add to My HeroesJoseph Staples
Deputy Sheriff Joseph Staples was shot and killed and a constable was seriously wounded when they attempted to arrest six stagecoach robbers.
The previous day six men wearing Confederate uniforms halted and robbed two stagecoaches near Placerville. The next morning Deputy Staples and a local constable followed the robbers' trail to a hotel in the nearby town of Somerset. Once inside the two were met with a fusillade of bullets. Deputy Staples was killed instantly. The constable, who ran back outside, was shot three times and left for dead.
Seven weeks later all six suspects were apprehended in Santa Clara County. One suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and hanged in Placerville on September 29th, 1865. Another suspect was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years hard labor. The other four suspects were tried and acquitted.
Bio
- Age 38
- Tour Not available
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Gun; Unknown type
- Offender Executed in 1865
Most Recent Reflection
View all 11 ReflectionsDeputy Staples
As a retired deputy from your same dept., El Dorado County, or EDSO, I want you to know that you still live on! After joining EDSO, I learned of you and have been to your grave site several times to pay my respects. We were proud that your sacrafice was our only one for over 100 years until our recent loss of Deputy Ishmael in 2019. You have not been forgotten.
Deputy Royce Windham
El Dorado Sheriff
August 26, 2022
Recent LODD Deaths
Police Officer Kyle Hicks
Corpus Christi Police Department, TX
EOW: April 24, 2024
Investigator John Hampton Coddou, III
Harris County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: April 23, 2024
Police Officer Jordan Wingate
Oakland Police Department, CA
EOW: April 20, 2024
Police Officer Luis M. Huesca
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: April 21, 2024
Deputy Sheriff Tobin Bolter
Ada County Sheriff's Office, ID
EOW: April 21, 2024
Deputy Sheriff Alfredo "Freddy" Flores
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: April 20, 2024
Investigator Brian Herbert
Osage Nation Police Department, TR
EOW: April 17, 2024
Deputy Sheriff Fred Fislar
Hendricks County Sheriff's Office, IN
EOW: April 16, 2024
Police Officer Michael E. Jensen
Syracuse Police Department, NY
EOW: April 14, 2024