Benjamen McLean
Agency patch
Sheriff

Benjamen McLean

Felonious
End of Watch February 9, 1866
Age 44
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 3 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff Benjamen McLean died from wounds he received from a beating he took trying to arrest two horse thieves at night on the north side of Sidney Square. Sheriff McLean had served for three years with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. He had been a salesman before becoming Sheriff. He was survived by his wife and six children. Sheriff McLean is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Sidney, Ohio.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and six children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-1B0C45D4
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

160 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff McLean gave the Shelby County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sidney community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Sidney, Shelby County, OH
Platform Identity scso.shelby.oh.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 9, 1866
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Not available

Sheriff Benjamen McLean is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 57.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Shelby County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
OH — Statewide
572
of 991 officers
57.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Benjamen McLean's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Benjamen McLean Compares

Age at Death
44
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Benjamen McLean is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Benjamen McLean was killed by not available.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Shelby County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.