Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Joel Powers was killed in an automobile accident while he and a Virginia State Trooper responded to a fight-in-progress call. The Trooper's patrol car was struck at the intersection of Route 6 and Route 600. Sheriff Powers suffered fatal injuries in the accident. Sheriff Powers had served with the Goochland County Sheriff's Office for 42 years. He was survived by his wife, four children, his mother, four sisters, and nine brothers. He is buried at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, Goochland County, Virginia.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four children, his mother, four sisters, and nine brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-18507BD5- 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
42 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Powers gave the Goochland County Sheriff's Office 42 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Goochland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Powers.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Joel L. Powers 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 VA, 203 of 654 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31% of this state's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joel L. Powers's cause is highlighted.
How Joel L. Powers Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joel L. Powers is highlighted in Jan.