North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina
End of Watch Saturday, October 5, 1974
Add to My HeroesWilliam Dean Arledge
Sergeant William Arledge and Patrolman Lawrence Canipe were shot and killed in the basement of the Buncombe County Courthouse.
Sergeant Arledge was assisting Patrolman Canipe in administering a breathalyzer test when the suspect was able to gain control of one of the officers' handguns and shot them both. The suspect was apprehended the next day by a deputy sheriff in Asheville.
The suspect was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on March 28th, 1975, and sentenced to two life terms. He died in prison on September 5th, 1995.
Sergeant Arledge was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 23 years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In August 2000, a six-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 74 in Polk County was renamed Sgt. W. Dean Arledge Memorial Highway in honor of Sergeant Arledge.
Bio
- Age 54
- Tour 23 years
- Badge G-422
- Military Veteran
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Officer's handgun
- Offender Sentenced to life
Related LODD Deaths
Most Recent Reflection
View all 29 Reflections50 years ago. If time heals all wounds, it would appear half a century is not enough, for the pain of your loss is as acute now as it was that night.
NC Officer
October 5, 2024
