Union County Sheriff's Office, Ohio
End of Watch: Thursday, January 21, 1982
Age: 59
Tour of Duty: 29 years
Badge Number: 801
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 21, 1982
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Life in prison
Sheriff Harry Wolfe was killed while responding to a burglary in progress.
Sheriff Wolfe was shot while answering a burglar alarm at 14223 Robinson Road near Plain City. The dispatcher on duty heard Sheriff Wolfe tell the suspect to come over and then heard the gunshots through the automated alarm system between the house and the sheriff's office.
A 32-year-old suspect was identified through evidence at the scene. The man was later found to be in prison on Riker's Island in New York for trying to steal a car. He was arrested under an alias and sat in Riker's Island for most of the summer without anyone learning his true identity. A later check of his fingerprints proved him to be wanted for the murder of Sheriff Wolfe. He was extradited to Ohio in December 1982 and entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. He changed his plea to guilty the following summer and was sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison in February 2020.
Sheriff Wolfe was a United States Army WWII veteran and had served with the Union County Sheriff's Office for 29 years, elected sheriff in 1974. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.