Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Ben Bertram was killed in a vehicle crash while involved in a vehicle pursuit on State Road 3 at 10:30 pm.
He had attempted to stop a stolen vehicle, but the driver refused to stop. As the pursuit neared State Road 56 in Scott County, Sergeant Bertram's vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Other officers in the pursuit immediately stopped and rendered aid, but Sergeant Bertram succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The 35-year-old driver continued to flee but was apprehended in Clark County. He was charged with resisting law enforcement resulting in death and auto theft. On March 6, 2019, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Sergeant Bertram's canine partner survived the crash and was treated at a local veterinary hospital.
Sergeant Bertram had served with the Charlestown Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He is survived by his parents and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-E7035F15- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Bertram gave the Charlestown Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Charlestown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Bertram.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Benton Hurley Bertram 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 IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Charlestown Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Benton Hurley Bertram's cause is highlighted.
How Benton Hurley Bertram Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 30 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Benton Hurley Bertram is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Charlestown Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
