Greene County Sheriff's Office, Ohio
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 29, 1946
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 29, 1946
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Earl Confer was shot and killed, and another deputy was wounded in a gunfight with one of two 21-year-old men while making a traffic stop in Xenia.
Deputy Confer and his partner were waiting for the armed men who had bragged about robbing a warehouse while at a gas station in Cedarville. When the vehicle ran a red light, the officers stopped the subjects at Main and Columbus Streets. The men exited their car and began shooting. Deputy Confer's partner was struck first. Deputy Confer and the subject engaged ina gunfight. The shooter was shot and seriously wounded.
Both suspects were convicted of Deputy Confer's murder and sentenced to life in prison on April 25th, 1946. In 1967, the investigation of the shooting was reopened. On October 13, 1967, a judge ruled that one suspect had nothing to do with the shooting and did nothing to interfere or resist. He had him released from prison the same day.
Deputy Confer had served with the Greene County Sheriff's Office for six years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
He is buried at Spring Valley Cemetery, Greene County, Ohio.