Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Dale Nelson died after being exposed to lethal doses of methane while attempting to rescue a father and son who had also become overtaken by the methane gas in a concrete manure pit on Roberts Dairy Farm along State Route 12. All three men fell face first into the manure and drowned. Another man who entered the pit with Sheriff Nelson was also overcome by the fumes but was rescued after falling with his face up. Sheriff Nelson was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War.
Survivors
He had served with the Beaver County Sheriff's Office for 14 years and was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-UT-85CE9AB3- 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.
Sheriff Nelson gave the Beaver County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Beaver community, and 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
Dale E. Nelson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sheriff Dale E. Nelson 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 UT, 49 of 138 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.5% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dale E. Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Dale E. Nelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dale E. Nelson is highlighted in Sep.