Michael Don Roberts
Agency patch
Reserve Deputy Sheriff

Michael Don Roberts

Accident
End of Watch September 30, 2011
Age 45
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
The Vigil Panel 160 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Reserve Deputies Mike Roberts and Tim Lowry were killed when their patrol car collided with a tractor trailer on State Highway 39, at about 6:50 pm, while serving warrants.

As they crested a hill they encountered a semi that had just made a U-turn. Their patrol car struck the duals of the trailer. Both deputies suffered massive head injuries as a result of the collision.

Deputy Roberts is survived by his wife, five children, parents, two brothers, one sister, and five grandchildren.

Survivors

Deputy Roberts is survived by his wife, five children, parents, two brothers, one sister, and five grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-3ACF6708
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Roberts gave the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Shawnee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Reserve Deputy Sheriff Roberts.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, OK
Platform Identity pcso.pottawatomie.ok.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 2011
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Reserve Deputy Sheriff Michael Don Roberts 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 23.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 71.4% of this agency's fallen.

Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
5
of 7 officers
71.4% Accident
OK — Statewide
135
of 582 officers
23.2% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Don Roberts's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Michael Don Roberts Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
20
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Don Roberts is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location