Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana
End of Watch: Sunday, June 21, 1953
Age: 60
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 21, 1953
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Arthur Yeary was shot and killed after investigating a domestic disturbance call on a farm near Athens involving a man and his wife.
He arrested the man and had him in his car when the subject suddenly grabbed his service revolver and shot him. The 51-year-old man was apprehended by a posse the next day. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He applied for a parole on October 9, 1969, and was released at some point before November 13, 1980, a date he died at his home in Pineville.
Deputy Yeary was a WWI veteran and a member of the Masons. He had served with the Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office for 20 years and also served as the town marshal of Athens. He was an expert at handling bloodhounds and often took them in searches for other law enforcement agencies, even in other nearby states, especially Texas and Arkansas. He was survived by his wife, three sisters, and three brothers.