Flags in Harford County flew at half-mast Tuesday in honor of Deputy William H. Beebe Jr., who died in a car accident Monday on his way to a call.
He was the first county sheriff?s deputy killed in the line of duty since 1889, when Deputy Frank Bateman was shot and killed while trying to arrest a disorderly subject in Bel Air, Sheriff R. Thomas Golding said.
“He was with us only a short time, but will be remembered forever,” Golding said in a written statement.
A 28-year-old Harford native, Beebe joined the Sheriff?s Office in October 2004. Golding noted that he left a “safe family business to come and work for us.” The sheriff described him as “an excellent law enforcement officer who was respected and loved by his coworkers.”
Beebe was assigned to the Southern Precinct in Edgewood and was also a member of the agency?s Honor Guard.
Just last week, Golding had bestowed him with a commendation of merit for his role in breaking up a car theft ring.
“Today is one of the saddest days in my 32 years with the Sheriff?s Office,” Golding said during a press conference Tuesday morning.
Sheriff-elect Jesse Bane, Harford County Executive David Craig, State?s Attorney Joseph Cassilly and several deputies joined Golding, almost all with bloodshot eyes, some crying.
“This is going to be a difficult time for all of us,” Bane said. He asked that all Harford residents keep Beebe and his family in their prayers.
Beebe was responding about 11:30 p.m. Monday to assist another deputy on a call about a domestic dispute in Abingdon in which the wife was reportedly threatening suicide, said Lt. Jim Eyler, a Sheriff?s Office spokesman.
En route, Beebe?s 2006 Ford Crown Victoria went off the road and about 60 yards down an embankment.
Area residents noticed the patrol car down the embankment with its siren going and emergency lights strobing, and called 911.
Other deputies rushed to the scene, got Beebe out of his car and gave him CPR. EMS responders from the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company “continued heroic efforts” to save him, the Sheriff?s Office said.
But he was pronounced dead at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air about 1 a.m.
Meanwhile, deputies were able to resolve the original domestic call without incident, Eyler said.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Beebe is survived by his parents, his fiancee and her 9-year-old son.
Funeral arrangements have not been “solidified,” Eyler said. He said the cost would be paid for by the Sheriff?s Office in conjunction with Harford County government.
