Agent Thomas R. Matthews

Thomas R. Matthews

Agent Tommy Matthews and Sheriff Dave Malcolm of the Butte County Sheriff's Office were shot and killed while conducting a roadblock near the town of Spearfish at the intersection of South Dakota Highways 14 & 85.

Both officers were shot around 7 p.m. by an escaped murderer from Minnesota. The suspect was apprehended and executed in the electric chair in 1947.

Agent Matthews had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation during World War I and served with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation for at least four years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

He is buried at Rose Hill Cemetary in Spearfish, Lawrence County, South Dakota.

A portion of Highway 85 has been dedicated to Agent Matthews and Sheriff Malcolm.