Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch Sunday, March 31, 2002
Add to My HeroesDonald Lee Schavolt
Deputy Donald Schavolt suffered a fatal heart attack after being kicked in the chest by a juvenile suspect during an arrest attempt in the Casa Del Monte Mobile Home Park.
He and three other deputies had responded to a noise complaint and found the suspect lying in the street when they arrived. The suspect violently resisted arrest and it took four deputies to restrain him.
Deputy Schavolt transported the suspect to a local medical center where he again resisted. Later, Deputy Schavolt went and sat down inside at the hospital and then collapsed. The suspect was charged as a juvenile with second-degree murder, and resisting arrest with violence as a result of Deputy Schavolt's death.
An autopsy determined that Deputy Schavolt's heart attack did not directly result from being kicked in the chest. The suspect's charges were reduced to felony battery, resisting arrest, and two counts of misdemeanor assault.
Deputy Schavolt is survived by his wife and four children.
Bio
- Age 48
- Tour 12 years
- Badge 3721
Incident Details
- Cause Heart attack
- Weapon Person; Alcohol involved
- Offender Charged with assault
Most Recent Reflection
View all 54 ReflectionsI was working the ER the night you came in. Every year my husband and myself we go to the Police Ball (which was last night) you are of course one of the deputies honored in a video, and I get tears in my eyes because I saw you doing your paperwork and we had a brief conversation before you collapsed. I had just come off of maternity leave a month before. This is one night in my ER career I will NEVER forget! I haven’t written before because i’m new to this site and I didn’t know this site went back this far. May god continue to give your family strength. God Bless them and may you continue to R.I.P
wife of LT William Pinto Barbara Pinto
Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office
June 9, 2019
Recent LODD Deaths

Police Officer Arturo Villegas
Alamo Police Department, GA
EOW: January 10, 2021

Deputy Sheriff Jon Melvin
Grant County Sheriff's Office, WA
EOW: December 11, 2020

Deputy Sheriff Adam Gibson
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: January 18, 2021

Police Officer Brandon Stalker
Toledo Police Department, OH
EOW: January 18, 2021

Police Officer Jay Hughes
Kalispel Tribal Police Department, TR
EOW: January 6, 2021

Corporal Christine Peters
Greenbelt Police Department, MD
EOW: January 14, 2021

Conservation Officer Steven Reighard
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, IA
EOW: January 8, 2021

Police Officer Melton "Fox" Gore
Horry County Police Department, SC
EOW: January 12, 2021

Sergeant Frederick H. "Butch" Cameron
Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, VA
EOW: January 12, 2021