Ford County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch: Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: S06
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: September 23, 2003
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Investigator Bret Tepe was killed in an automobile accident while driving on U.S. Route 50 near Spearville at about 9:20 am.
Investigator Tepe was on duty and driving his personal vehicle when a car traveling the opposite direction experienced a tire blow-out. The vehicle crossed into Investigator Tepe's lane and struck his vehicle head-on. He and the driver of the other car were both killed.
At the time of the crash investigators for the Ford County Sheriff's Office drove their personal vehicles while on duty to reduce the costs of purchasing vehicles by the department.
Investigator Tepe was a U.S. Navy veteran. He had served with the Ford County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and had previously served with the Goodland Police Department for one year. He is survived by his wife and three children.