Jessie C. Benton

Charleston Police Department — Charleston, SC

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch June 17, 1955

Age 37

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

Badge 120

The Vigil Panel 91 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 23

Incident

Sergeant Jessie Benton and Detective James Tindal were killed in an automobile accident near Holly Hill, South Carolina, while returning to Charleston to assist at the Charleston Tidewater Terminal fire. The two officers, along with their wives, had been in Charlotte, North Carolina, to represent the Charleston Police Department in a pistol competition. All members of the department were ordered to return to Charleston to assist at the scene of the fire. The wives of both officers were also killed in the accident. Policeman Lawrence Aytes had been killed in the fire while attempting to rescue a citizen. Sergeant Benton was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served with the Charleston Police Department for 10 years.

Survivors

He was survived by one son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-SC-C6B790E8
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Jessie is one person.

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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.
Sergeant Benton gave the Charleston Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston 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

Department Charleston Police Department

Type Other

Location Charleston, SC

Platform Identity cpd.charleston.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 17, 1955

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

Age 37

Badge Number 120

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Jessie C. Benton served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant Jessie C. Benton is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In SC, 138 of 440 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 31.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Charleston Police Department, 10 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston Police Department

of 24 officers

41.7% Accident

SC — Statewide

138

of 440 officers

31.4% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident