Michael Arthur Winter
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Michael Arthur Winter

Branch County Sheriff's Office — Coldwater, MI
Accident Veteran →
End of Watch May 31, 2016
Age 39
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 165 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Michael Winter succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when he was thrown from his horse while on a special detail at the Memorial Day Parade along West Chicago Street in Quincy, Michigan.

He suffered a severe head injury when something spooked the horse near the intersection of West Chicago Street and West Street, causing it to buck and throw him. He was flown to a hospital in Indiana where he was taken off of life support the following day so his organs could be donated.

Deputy Winter was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Branch County Sheriff's Office for five years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-F857C295
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 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.
Deputy Sheriff Winter gave the Branch County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Coldwater community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location Coldwater, MI
Platform Identity bcso.branch.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 31, 2016
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Animal related

Military Service

Michael Arthur Winter served in the Navy (1995–1999) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Michael Arthur Winter 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Branch County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Branch County Sheriff's Office
1
of 3 officers
33.3% Accident
MI — Statewide
229
of 718 officers
31.9% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

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

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Michael Arthur Winter Compares

Age at End of Watch
39
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Arthur Winter is highlighted in May.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Branch County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.