Roll of Honor
Ben Thomas Vaughn
Incident
Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Vaughn was killed in a vehicle crash while he and his partner chased a speeding motorist on Highway 27 in Dayton, Tennessee.
The other deputy attempted to pass the speeding vehicle when their patrol car collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle just inside the city limits. Chief Deputy Vaughn was killed while his partner and the other driver were seriously injured. The vehicle they were pursuing continued to flee.
Chief Deputy Vaughn was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII.
Survivors
He was survived by his brother, who served as the county sheriff at the time of the incident.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-273D5F6D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Vaughn served with the Rhea County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Dayton community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ben Thomas Vaughn served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Thomas Vaughn is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Rhea County Sheriff's Department, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ben Thomas Vaughn's cause is highlighted.
How Ben Thomas Vaughn Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ben Thomas Vaughn is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Rhea County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
