Washita County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma
End of Watch: Saturday, October 21, 1967
Age: 54
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 21, 1967
Weapon Used: Rifle; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Meeks was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant.
At about 8 p.m. he was assisting a Kiowa County deputy sheriff in serving an arrest warrant on a 19-year-old man for burglary. As the deputies approached the house the young man's father opened fire on the deputies, wounding both. Deputy Meeks was shot in the head and chest. The Kiowa deputy was critically wounded. The target of the arrest warrant dragged the wounded Kiowa deputy to safety and called police and medical assistance. The Kiowa County deputy survived his wounds.
The 56-year-old suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life on Dec. 11, 1967. He was denied parole in 1975.