Constable Arthur J. St. Clair

Arthur J. St. Clair

Constable Arthur St. Clair and Deputy George Requa, of the Elk County Sheriff's Office, were shot and killed while attempting to arrest two men who had just stolen a car from a cattle company. The officers had been alerted to the theft by the owner and located the car stuck in the mud near Cherry Creek.

As the men approached the car, the suspects opened fire from an ambush position in an irrigation ditch 50 feet away. Constable St. Clair was struck in the chest and killed instantly. Deputy Requa was struck in the head and mortally wounded. He succumbed to his wounds approximately two weeks later.

The county sheriff and another deputy pursued the suspects to Butte Valley where they were arrested. One of the suspects escaped from prison in 1924 and wasn't recaptured for 46 years. He had fled to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where for several years he operated a successful motel business. Several years later he moved to Wyoming where he went bankrupt trying to operate a unsuccessful cattle ranch. From there he moved to Las Angeles, California, where he was arrested at his home by police who went there to investigate a family domestic disturbance. He admitted he was a prison escapee and admitted to killing a man in Texas. He was returned to Nevada to finish his life sentence but was eventually paroled in 1970 and later died

Constable St. Clair was survived by his wife and one child. He was buried in Starr Valley Cemetery, Starr Valley, Elko County Nevada.