Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Charles Cook succumbed to injuries sustained five days earlier while pursuing a motorcycle on the Belt Highway.
The motorcycle had been observed harassing a St. Joseph police officer by continuously driving past the officer and doing wheelies while the officer was conducting a traffic stop.
The officer radioed the situation in to dispatch and Deputy Cook responded to the scene. As the motorcycle fled northbound on the highway Deputy Cook attempted to catch up to it. As he crested a small hill he encountered a semi-truck turning left across the highway at Sherman Avenue. Deputy Cook swerved to avoid striking the truck but his patrol SUV left the roadway and struck a traffic control box.
He was transported to a local hospital where he remained in critical condition until succumbing to his injuries. The motorcyclist who caused the incident was not captured.
Deputy Cook had served with the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department for three years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-4E3DC145- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Cook gave the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Joseph community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Cook.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Charles Cook 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 MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Cook's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Cook Compares
Offender Outcome
At large
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Cook is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Buchanan County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
