Sergeant William Dean Arledge

William 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.