Night Policeman Orville E. Rosenstengel

Orville E. Rosenstengel

Officer Orville Rosenstengel was shot and killed after arresting a man for creating a disturbance.

He was off duty, eating dinner when he received reports about a man who drove into a private driveway and began to create a disturbance. Officer Rosenstengel put on his police cap and badge but left his gun and went to the scene. He arrested the man and drove him to Vandalia City Hall in the suspect's car. When he ordered the man out of the car, the suspect grabbed a hidden gun and shot him in the chest, killing him instantly.

The suspect, a 58-year-old parole violator, had recently been released from an Illinois prison after serving 30 years for armed robbery and kidnapping. He violated his parole when he left the state. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. On January 21, 1978, he was still in prison when the Kansas City Times published his story about life in prison.

Officer Rosenstengel had served with the Vandalia Police Department for 5 years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, two grandchildren, his mother, and five siblings.