Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Wednesday, February 8, 1928
Age: 58
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 8, 1928
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Wallace McClure and Deputy John Grove were shot and killed while transporting two prisoners, 19 and 20, to the Pendleton Penitentiary in Deputy Grove's car.
The prisoners had been convicted of armed robbery and about to serve two to 20 year sentences in prison. When they failed to arrive at the penitentiary, a nationwide manhunt began and the next day the prisoner's uncle saw the prisoners driving Deputy Grove's car near Danville, Illinois. Two days later, the car was found abandoned in Decatur, Illinois, and Deputy Grove's hat was found east of Lafayette near Maple Point.
The bodies of Deputies McClure and Grove were found on February 16 in a field west of Covington in Warren County. Sometime during the transport the prisoners were able to gain control of the deputy's weapons and executed both of them.
One of the prisoners was arrested on May 21 at his uncle's home in West Lafayette and on June 9, he was sentenced to life in prison for second degree murder. After more than three years, the other prisoner was captured in Albuquerque, New Mexico, using an alias name. He confessed that he was the one who shot and killed both deputies was sentenced to life in prison on January 8, 1932. He was denied parole in 1945. The other suspect was paroled on June 16, 1945, and released to Illinois authorities to face an old parole violation.