Chief of Police Pleasant Clay Oakes

Chief of Police Pleasant Clay Oakes | Raeford Police Department, North Carolina
Raeford Police Department, North Carolina
Chief of Police Pleasant Clay Oakes

Raeford Police Department, North Carolina

End of Watch Saturday, August 31, 1912

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Pleasant Clay Oakes

Chief Pleasant Clay Oakes was shot and killed by a man who held a grudge against him. The suspect was angry with the chief for arresting him a few days earlier for public drunkenness.


The suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In December of 1914, he escaped from the Caledonia Prison Farm in Halifax County. He went to Sylacauga, Alabama, where under an assumed name he became very prosperous in a lumber business. In November of 1928, he was recaptured in Sylacauga after someone recognized him and reported it to the police. He was returned to North Carolina and ordered to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Bio

  • Age 49
  • Tour Not available
  • Badge Not available

Incident Details

  • Cause Gunfire
  • Weapon Shotgun
  • Offender Sentenced to 20 years
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Thank each of you for your kind words. I randomly typed in my great grandfather's name, knowing that he was a police chief in Raeford, NC and killed in the line of duty. I was thrilled to see this memorial page even after so many decades. It matters!! Again, many thanks!!

Robert Cecil
Great-Grandson

May 1, 2019

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