Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff John Williams was killed in a vehicle crash on Highway 70, two miles southeast of Madill.
He was returning to Bryan County after delivering several prisoners to state prisons in Granite and Pauls Valley. Sheriff Williams' vehicle crashed into the back of a stalled truck on Highway 70. A passenger in the vehicle with him suffered a broken leg.
Sheriff Williams had served as sheriff for eight years and had previously served with the Durant Police Department for four years, with three of those years as police chief. He was a widower and survived by two children. He was predeceased by seven other children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-7DE6EC7F- 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.
Sheriff Williams gave the Bryan County Sheriff's Office 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Durant community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Williams.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff John Ellis Williams 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 7.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Bryan County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Ellis Williams's cause is highlighted.
How John Ellis Williams Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Ellis Williams is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Bryan County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
