Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Joe T. Hutson was fatally wounded when a fellow officer, Tom Hughes, accidentally discharged his pistol. Officer Hughes was placing his pistol into his scabbard when he accidentally shoved it into the loops, causing the pistol to fall and strike the floor as the chief entered the room. The bullet entered Hughes’ right ankle, broke his bone, and then ricocheted striking Chief Hutson in the thigh. Chief Hutson bled to death. Chief Hutson was a pioneer peace officer in the community. He was survived by his wife, five children, parents, 8 brothers and a sister. His brother, Lee, was also a member of the force. He was buried in the Borger Cemetery in Hutchinson County.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, five children, parents, 8 brothers and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-C8F2B00C- 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.
Chief of Police Hutson served with the Borger Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Borger community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Hutson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Joseph Theophelus Hutson 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 TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Borger Police Department, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Theophelus Hutson's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Theophelus Hutson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Theophelus Hutson is highlighted in Feb.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Borger Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
