Incident
Deputy Slaven was shot and killed while attempting to arrest an escaped prisoner. The man had been arrested earlier in the day for selling illegal whiskey but had escaped custody.
The man later committed suicide as other deputies surrounded his home.
Deputy Slaven had served with the McCreary County Sheriff's Office for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and six children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-D978C16B- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Slaven gave the McCreary County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Whitley City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Slaven.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Oliver Slaven 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 KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At McCreary County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Oliver Slaven's cause is highlighted.
How Oliver Slaven Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Oliver Slaven is highlighted in May.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from McCreary County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.



