Roll of Honor
Incident
Special Policeman Charles Pelton and Patrolman Herbert Gillis were killed in a motorcycle crash when their motorcycle struck a Halloween barricade that had been placed on Butrick Street.
After receiving notice of an incident on Butrick Street, the two officers went to investigate. An oncoming vehicle's lights prevented Patrolman Gillis from seeing that a piece of timber had been placed in the roadway. Their motorcycle struck the 10-foot long 4x6-inch plank stretched across the road. The motorcycle and sidecar hit the plank and swerved into an oncoming car.
Both officers were thrown from the motorcycle and sidecar and suffered skull fractures. Special Policeman Pelton died instantly and Patrolman Gillis was taken to the hospital where he subsequently died at 12:30 am.
It was later discovered that seven teenagers were responsible for putting the plank in the roadway. All seven were arrested.
Special Policeman Pelton was one of 100 special police officers who were sworn in to assist with Halloween festivities.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-32CD94D7- 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.
Special Policeman Pelton served with the Waukegan Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Waukegan community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Policeman Pelton.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Policeman Charles Pelton 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Waukegan Police Department, 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 Pelton's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Pelton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Pelton is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Waukegan Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
