Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Rudolph Howell died from injuries he received several days before while chasing a suspect in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Deputy Howell saw the suspect enter a motor vehicle and attempted to stop him. The suspect began to run with Deputy Howell in pursuit. During the chase, Deputy Howell collapsed and hit his head on the pavement, fracturing his skull. The man he was pursuing was apprehended later in the day. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $7 for driving without a license. Deputy Howell had served with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department for three years and had been a candidate for sheriff at the November 1950 election.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-ND-24C1C5DC- 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 Howell gave the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Devils Lake community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Howell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Rudolph F. Howell 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 ND, 15 of 61 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.6% of this state's fallen. That is 6.4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rudolph F. Howell's cause is highlighted.
How Rudolph F. Howell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rudolph F. Howell is highlighted in Sep.