Deputy Sheriff Ora Clyde Owen, Jr.

Ora Clyde Owen, Jr.

Deputy Sheriff Ora Owen was struck and killed by a drunk driver near Bijou.

Deputy Owen had been involved in a vehicle crash and was directing traffic around the scene. An off duty deputy was going by and was asked by Deputy Owen to help direct traffic by setting out flares while they awaited the arrival of the California Highway Patrol and a tow truck.

The two deputies had just put out additional flares when an oncoming vehicle fatally struck Deputy Owen at a high rate of speed. The 19-year-driver was arrested and charged with drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. He was convicted of hit-and-run and manslaughter and sentenced to weekends in jail for three months.

Deputy Owen was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and the Korean War.