Adairville Police Department, Kentucky
End of Watch: Monday, February 6, 1967
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 6, 1967
Weapon Used: Rifle; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 1 year
Chief of Police Cloyd Charlton was shot and killed by a man whom he had issued a traffic ticket several days earlier following an accident. The man had been ticketed for driving without a Kentucky operator's license.
After being ticketed, the man threatened Chief Charlton's life.
Several days later, Chief Charlton observed the man driving again and attempted to stop him. The man refused to stop and was chased to his farm. As Chief Charlton exited his patrol car, the suspect fired at him, fatally wounding him. The man then shot him again with a different gun and shot his patrol car with a shotgun.
The man was taken into custody after his wife called the county sheriff to report the incident. The 52-year-old farmer was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to one year.
Chief Charlton had served as the only Adairville Police Department's policeman for 11 months and had previously served with the Gallatin Police Department in Tennessee. He was survived by four daughters, his mother, and a brother.