North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina
End of Watch: Saturday, October 5, 1974
Age: 54
Tour of Duty: 23 years
Badge Number: G-422
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 5, 1974
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Sergeant William Arledge and Patrolman Lawrence Canipe were shot and killed in the basement of the Buncombe County Courthouse.
Sergeant Arledge was assisting Patrolman Canipe to administer a breathalyzer test when the suspect was able to gain control of one of the officers' handguns and shot them both. The suspect was apprehended the next day by a deputy sheriff in Asheville.
The suspect was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on March 28th, 1975, and sentenced to two life terms. He died in prison on September 5th, 1995.
Sergeant Arledge was a U.S Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 23 years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In August 2000 a six-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 74 in Polk County was renamed Sgt. W. Dean Arledge Memorial Highway in honor of Sergeant Arledge.