Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman James Booth was killed in an automobile accident when a vehicle he was riding in went over a 30-foot embankment near Stony Ridge. He and three other police officers had been picked up by a local garage owner as they searched for robbery suspects who were reportedly in the area.
As the vehicle drover towards Princeton, at approximately 11:00 pm, one of its tires went off the roadway and caused the vehicle to fall down the embankment. All of the occupants were thrown from the vehicle and seriously injured. Patrolman Booth died from his injuries approximately 30 minutes later.
Patrolman Booth had served with the Bluefield Police Department for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WV-F70D35E9- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Booth gave the Bluefield Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bluefield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Booth.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman James L. Booth is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In WV, 54 of 232 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.3% of this state's fallen. That is 23.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Bluefield Police Department, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James L. Booth's cause is highlighted.
How James L. Booth Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James L. Booth is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Bluefield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
